The Perfect Gift for Hamilton Fans

It tells the story behind the story
As a musical, Hamilton immerses itself in the idea of narrative. You have no control, it reminds us in its closing moments, over “who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” For a man who wrote furiously and unceasingly, this had to have been an enormously frustrating concept. For Miranda and his creative partners’ parts, they’ve put themselves back in the narrative, delivering the history of the musical from its inception (and a rather ad-hoc performance at the White House) to the footlights of the Great White Way, six years later. Peppered into this narrative are perspectives from Ron Chernow, the author of Alexander Hamilton, the biography that sparked this journey; legendary theatrical luminary Stephen Sondheim; Questlove; a slew of well-known admirers and collaborators; and President Barack Obama himself. Hamilton traces the arc of the American Revolution, but it’s quite revolutionary as a work of art in its own right. Hamilton: The Revolution trains a well-deserved spotlight on that achievement.
It gives you a peek at the stage (for cheap)
More than a full year after Hamilton’s opening night on Broadway, much of the original cast has left the show, including Miranda. Within the book’s pages, their remarkable turns onstage are immortalized in beautiful, page-spanning photos that will leave even those who’ll never find their way to the Richard Rodgers Theatre completely satisfied. Costume and staging details—including some conceptual sketches—are finally available for everyone to envision as they listen to the cast recording during rush hour for the thousandth time. There’s something wonderful about being able to fully visualize the face of the modern Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom) as he croons “My Theodosia” or becomes ensnared once more in one of Hamilton’s verbal traps, always the Wile E. Coyote to Hamilton’s Roadrunner.
The commentary is nonstop
Alexander Hamilton is remarkable for the prolific nature of his writings, and Miranda is quite prodigious in his own output. Within the pages of Hamilton: The Revolution, he takes you inside his own mind, annotating the musical’s entire libretto, revealing some of his hip-hop influences, decisions behind certain key lines, and personal anecdotes from the six years it took this musical to fully gestate. For a nuanced and intensive look at the myriad layers to every single lyric (so much character development!), this book can’t be beat. Every listen from now on will be deeper, and Miranda’s notes may give novice hip-hop fans new albums to add to their music libraries. What time is it? Showtime.