The document provides an in-depth analysis of the book musicals Hamilton, Wicked, and Dear Evan Hansen. It summarizes that all three musicals combine singing, dancing, and acting to tell compelling stories focused on themes of family, conflict and social issues. Though the musicals differ in genres and structures, they all utilize similar storytelling techniques like memorable opening numbers, showstopping performances, and thought-provoking conclusions.

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MUSICAL THEATRE ESSAY
Musical theatre is a combination of the three main disciplines of Performing Arts:
acting, singing, and dancing. There is often some dialogue involved in musical
theatre which helps drive the plot along. It often has some sort of issue involved in
the musical with a moment of tension and conflict which reaches a climax and
resolution. The three musicals I have chosen to focus on is the book musical,
‘Hamilton’, the book musical ‘Wicked’ and the concept musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.
There are different types of musicals in the performing arts industry. Hamilton is a
book musical, as is the musical Wicked. The musical Dear Evan Hansen is,
debatably, a concept musical; this is because it focuses on the theme of mental
health throughout the entire plot, both with the characters Evan Hansen and Connor
Murphy, and the support system that comes with speaking out. The musical
Hamilton is a book musical as it is inspired by the biography ‘Alexander Hamilton’, by
Ron Chernow. It’s a true story of the American revolution and the Founding Fathers
of America. The first act focuses on the American Revolution, and the war with
Britain to gain independence. The songs are focused on the theme of war and
conflict and Hamilton is trying to create a legacy through his expertise in war tactics
and being George Washington’s ‘right-hand man’. The music and lyrics within
Hamilton often acknowledge the fact that it is a book musical, and a true story. For
example, in the eleven’ o clock song ‘Burn’, the lyric, “Let future historians wonder
how Eliza reacted when you broke her heart” shows that the musical gives itself a
nod at being a musical based off of a historical setting. Wicked is a book musical that
isn’t a true story, and is fantasy based. The songs in the musical show this, like ‘One
Short Day’ which focuses on the ‘Emerald City’, a fictional city within the setting of
the musical plot. It is important to acknowledge the types of musicals because it
gives a contextual understanding of the musicals and gives the audience an
“exposure to the social issues, events and cultures that are portrayed in the scripts”.1
The musicals Hamilton, Wicked and Dear Evan Hansen all have extreme themes
that are carried through the entirety of the story; Hamilton has recurring themes of
forgiveness, ambition, family, conflict, and power. In Wicked, there are themes also
of family, racism, and good vs evil. Finally, the themes in Dear Evan Hansen are
once again family, friendship, and grief. The theme of family is extremely prevalent
throughout all three of these musicals. In Hamilton, family is explored through
Hamilton’s wife and his relationship with her sister, as well as his own son dying.
Family is explored in Wicked through Elphaba and the struggle she has with her
discriminative Father and her disabled sister throughout the musical. In Dear Evan
Hansen, family is explored through Evan Hansen, when he starts to integrate into
1
https://www.broadwayutica.org/news/why-is-musical-theatre-important/

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Connor’s family’s life, whilst completely ignoring his own. Plot-wise, family comes
into play for all these musicals, which gives them a common link to each other. There
are a few differences as well, however. For example, the musical Hamilton is about
gaining political and influential power, and the main character, Hamilton, is quite
enamored with this. Meanwhile, in a musical like Wicked, Elphaba wants a
decentralization of power, and to do this she tries to free the monkeys from the
Wizard and expose him. Dear Evan Hansen has some power dynamics, but it’s
explored inadvertently, where Evan holds power because of his hold over the lies he
has created and people he has coerced into these lies, but he never wanted this to
happen. This shows the difference between the musicals, as well as the similarities.
Structurally, the musicals can be seen to differ; Hamilton’s structure is connected by
songs and no dialogue, which is untrue for the other two musicals. However, their
opening numbers lay out a map of the story to come. Hamilton’s opening number
explains his past and his journey to New York. Wicked’s opening number also
explains Elphaba’s past, more objectively her birth, and discusses the discrimination
she will face for the rest of the musical. Dear Evan Hansen’s opening number maps
out the plot and how it will unfold later in the musical. This is a common trope in
musicals so it’s very similar in all three. Whilst the building up of the plot is common
in all three of these musicals, their structures when they delve deeper into their own
stories can be quite different. Hamilton’s structure uses songs to smoothly transition
into the next part of the story, and they always seem to be fairly involved and linked
with each other in a chronological timeline. Whilst Wicked and Dear Evan Hansen do
also follow a chronology in their stories, the musicals make use of speech on stage,
as well as time-skipping. They do this with blackouts between songs and some
wardrobe changes. They also utilize lighting for this purpose also. Hamilton moves
along in a timeline, but a lot of the time they keep the show fluid, rarely using
blackouts to signify the end of a period, instead, just drifting into the next song where
the lyrics explain to the audience how far along in the story they are. Hamilton also
does use lighting to convey time, such as night or day, which structurally moves
along the story. The musicals all share the same archetypes of musical theatre
songs, such as the ‘show stopping’ number which is a massive production that the
audience usually cheer wildly for, the ‘eleven o’ clock’ number, which re-energizes
the audience to get them ready for some of the final moments of the show, and many
more. Also, all of the musicals’ feature ‘comedy’ pieces which give off a lighthearted
atmosphere for the audience to enjoy themselves in. Comedy is usually only
involved in one song to lift audience’s spirits, and the three musicals here all share
the similar structure of involving one, such as ‘You’ll Be Back’, ‘Sincerely, Me’ and
‘Popular’. Hamilton’s ‘showstopper’ would be the piece ‘Non-Stop’, where all the cast
are on stage along with the ensemble, to create a massive production that excites
the audience. It’s also fitting as it comes in at the end of the first act, which allows the
audience to heavily anticipate and get excited for the second act. The ‘showstopper’
in Wicked would be ‘Defying Gravity’; similar to Hamilton, this appears at the end of
the first act and produces belting vocals and a high soprano female voice, with the
ensemble mixing in harmonies. Also, the lighting that is used in this piece

3. ALFIE DAMPS
significantly increases the ‘showstopping’ energy. Dear Evan Hansen’s
‘showstopper’ is ‘You Will Be Found’, an inspiring musical piece that combines
different vocals and harmonizes them and gives it a big production feel. These
musical pieces are all similar in the sense that they create excitement in the
audience, and they are all quite energized and lively. An ‘eleven o’ clock’ number
can be similar to a showstopper, as it revisits the energy that was used in the
showstopper, but it builds up the audience for the finale. Hamilton’s ‘Burn’, Wicked’s
‘For Good’ and Dear Evan Hansen’s ‘Words Fail’ are all the eleven o’ clock numbers
in their respective musicals. These are different than the showstoppers however, as
they are less lively and seem melancholier, to move along the plot of the story for the
conclusion to be big. In Hamilton however, it can be contested whether or not there
are different eleven o’ clock numbers: ‘Burn’, ‘The Room Where it Happened’ or ‘The
Election of 1800’. All these musicals’ conclusions differ slightly; Hamilton’s finale
explains the story that happens after the plot of the musical. Wicked’s finale remixes
some of the lyrics from previous songs to remind the audience of what has
happened, and Dear Evan Hansen’s finale does the same, but revisits the exposition
of the musical and draws on the experience of the plot. All these musicals’ structures
can be seen in a similar light, but they have different underlying tones which alter
their stories slightly.
In these musicals, like most musicals, there are dance numbers throughout.
Hamilton is very full of dance and choreography, and these include styles such as
jazz and hip-hop. However, Dear Evan Hansen and Wicked have very musical
theatre inspired dance styles, in pieces such as ‘One Short Day’ and ‘Waving
Through a Window’. In Hamilton, the ensemble appears in a lot of varying musical
pieces. However, the ‘showstopping’ musical piece ‘Non-Stop’ seems to be one of
the most heavily dance incorporating productions, as well as ‘The Room Where It
Happened’. The choreography in Hamilton is energetic and organized. The mix and
blend of hip-hop and jazz bring this energy to life; they are vigorous in their
movements and choreography and are very in sync. A show like Wicked’s
choreography however is more theatrical, and more linked with physical theatre.
The three musicals all differ slightly in terms of musical elements. Hamilton is not a
conventional musical as it involves music types not often seen in Musical Theatre
productions like rap and hip-hop, but it still follows a structure of a musical because
the music drives the plot forward. It lacks any phrasing in between the songs to give
expression to the sound, which can be seen in other musicals like Les Misérables.
The three musicals each have big singing numbers, with belts and high-pitched
vocals. The big singing number within Hamilton is ‘My Shot’. In this number there is a
very crisp rhyme scheme that “creates a very forward motion in the song, and almost
feels like Hamilton is running away with the song”.2 The singing blends mixes of rap
2
https://baileykaplan.wordpress.com/my-shot-essay/

4. ALFIE DAMPS
and hip-hop, and whilst there are no distinct ‘big’ musical elements such as belting in
the song, it is an extremely full-packed piece that includes all musical functions. In
Wicked, the big singing piece is the ‘showstopper’, ‘Defying Gravity’. This big musical
number embodies the elements of the original big musical pieces, with belting,
expression, projection, and intonation. “Belting is reserved for the climax(es) of the
song” 3, which is what makes ‘Defying Gravity’ such a big musical piece, as the
climax of the song generates a mixed belt which gets the audience on the edge of
their seat. As for Dear Evan Hansen, the big singing number would also be its
‘showstopper’, ‘You Will be Found’. This piece creates harmonies which stick
through the entire song, making it such a big number in Dear Evan Hansen. The
harmonies make it a big musical piece as harmonizing is a musical theatre skill
which is aesthetically pleasing for an audience to hear, and to hear it throughout the
entirety of the piece is what defines it as a ‘big’ piece. There is also great expression
within the singing, and the characterization which is introduced in the piece makes it
an emotional and beautifully sung performance. The ‘big numbers’ in musical theatre
is what can define a musical and make it seem like one of the greatest. These
numbers don’t necessarily always need to have belting, like traditional musical
theatre likes to incorporate, as the lyricism, rhythm, expression and characterization
can make it stick out to the audience as a ‘big’ piece.
The plots within all three of these musicals focuses on the dramatics. Hamilton’s plot
focuses on the themes of conflict and legacy, specifically Alexander Hamilton’s
legacy, which creates a dramatic feeling of seeing him try to achieve this within his
life through his writings and through the American revolution. The timing and pace of
the story creates tense moments, like in pieces such as ‘Yorktown (The World
Turned Upside Down)’ where the music projects the anxious story of whether they
are going to win the war, with fast paced lyrics and chaotic musicality which abruptly
switches into a softer and more lighthearted melody nearer the end of the song. This
is a key dramatic moment that relieves the audience of tension and moves the plot
forward. Whilst there are no main pieces of dialogue within the musical, the songs
push the plot forward, and the musicality is what generates different emotions which
creates mood and atmosphere, allowing the audience to sympathize with the
characters. One character whose journey is interesting is Hamilton’s wife, Elizabeth
Schuyler, or Eliza Hamilton. At first, she is introduced almost like a side-character to
her sister Angelica Schuyler, who seems to be the leader of the Schuyler sisters, yet
her journey and self-discovery as her own person is a very gripping plot point and
can be seen as a modern telling of feminism. When Hamilton commits adultery and
cheats on her, her sweet and innocent nature is replaced with an angry and grief-
stricken one, which creates tension in the plot as it is a change the audience
wouldn’t have expected to see from such a character. This characterization is what
makes her character journey interesting, especially towards the end of the musical
where she ends the story with a gripping song, ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells
3
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/what-is-
belting/#:~:text=Belting%20is%20reserved%20for%20the,of%20notes%20in%20diffe
rent%20phrases.

5. ALFIE DAMPS
Your Story?’ which places her in the spotlight that, earlier, she said she wasn’t one to
take.
Wicked is a story which can be seen as dramatic also; following Elphaba’s story of
discrimination and a need to bring justice to the Wizard and free the monkeys is a
strange yet dramatic plot. This is reinforced by the acting within the musical, and the
dialogue that takes place, especially in the scenes between the Wizard and Elphaba.
Elphaba remains steadfast in her goal to free the monkeys, and the Wizard is
manipulative in trying to get Elphaba on his side. This dynamic relationship between
the two characters is what increases the tension of the story and makes the
audience root for Elphaba, the woman who is seen as a villain in the counterpart
story, ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Elphaba’s journey of being fairly secluded and shy when
she first joins her school due to the prejudice that is placed on her, to being confident
and steadfast in achieving her goals is a compelling character development that can
dazzle the audience. Her romantic relationship with Fiyero is also a journey that
creates drama and tension within the plot, not forgetting her intriguing friendship with
Glinda, ‘the good witch’. These relationships make the audience feel emotionally
attached. In Dear Evan Hansen, the story and plot are more melancholy, arguably,
than the other two musicals. The whole story creates tension as it focuses on Evan
Hansen who withholds a massive secret from an entire family while struggling with
his own family issues. The story focuses on mental health and honesty, and the
importance of family. The journey of Connor Murphy is interesting as he passes
away very early on, but his change and jolt in personality when being interpreted
through Evan Hansen’s fake stories is interesting as it gives the character more
personality. As a gruff character, the audience might not be particularly well received
by the audience, but in the song ‘Sincerely Me’, his more lighthearted personality is
what draws the audience in and allows him to shine more in the musical. His fun
personality is a complete juxtaposition of his earlier personality, and the melancholy
theme of the musical as a whole.
In conclusion, musical theatre generates diverse themes and ideas that are
produced through the plot and songs that contains all three disciplines of dance,
drama and singing. The difference in genres in musical theatre, like in the ones I
have chosen to discuss, produces a range of interesting performances.