In case you're one of the eleven people in the world who still haven't heard, the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton has landed on Disney+.
The critically acclaimed musical, penned by Lin-Manual Miranda, tells the story of America's Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton.
The show follows Alexander's arrival in New York City, his time spent serving George Washington during the revolution, his relationship with Eliza Schuyler, and more - all set to an incredible RnB/hip-hop-inspired soundtrack.
However, despite the fact Hamilton broke so many boundaries in terms of introducing more people of color to the Broadway stage, just days after the hit musical dropped on Disney's streaming platform, #CancelHamilton was already sweeping across social media.
The calls for the show to be removed from Disney+ stemmed from the fact that many characters in the show were slave owners and traders in real life, including several Founding Fathers and Hamilton's in-laws, the Schuler family. (More can be read on this issue in this Smithsonian feature.)
The subject was also brought to Miranda's attention by American writer and podcast host, Tracy Clayton, who - while actually attempting to defend the musical - described the Miranda's creation as "a flawed play about flawed people written by an imperfect person".
Miranda responded to Clayton directly, acknowledging the "valid criticisms" and explaining that there was only so much he could fit into a two-and-a-half-hour musical. He wrote:
"Appreciate you so much, @brokeymcpoverty. All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game."
And in an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross regarding the recent criticism, Miranda also admitted that slavery was "a system in which every character in our show is complicit in some way or another.
"Hamilton - although he voiced anti-slavery beliefs - remained complicit in the system."
When creating Hamilton, Miranda purposefully cast people of color to help make his vision come to life on the stag.
The 40-year-old recently told The Undefeated that Hamilton is "the story of America then, told by America now."
He added: "People of color are the future of this country - they are the present, they are the future.
"And, on another level, this was always a hip-hop musical in my head. If this had been cast with all white people, wouldn't you think I'd messed up?"
