Tickets for Hamilton are sold out through next January, resellers are setting prices at more than $3,000 for some performances, and tens of thousands of people are entering the show’s ticket lottery on a daily basis. It’s a very, very good show.
That is owed in equal measure to the genius of its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the brilliance of its ensemble. George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison: Our lily-white founding fathers are all portrayed to perfection by a cast of some of the most talented non-white men in musical theater.
With casting underway for the show’s first national tour, BuzzFeed reported on Thursday that, much in the same way that race was no consideration for the show’s major roles, gender will no longer be a consideration either. In casting calls for the show’s Philadelphia production, the company leading the search says it’s looking for men and women to fill the shoes of George Washington and Aaron Burr, two of the most important roles in the production.
Broadway, while not perfect, has been well ahead of television and film when it comes to diversity, both of race and gender. Hamilton in particular has earned praise for its commitment to diversity.