‘Hamilton’ Biographer Is Making History on Broadway Ron Chernow says 2015 brought ‘a biographer’s wish-fulfillment fantasy’ By Pia Catton
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hamilton-biographer-is-making-history-on-broadway-1451089483
Ron Chernow is a superb biographer. I read his book on Washington as well as his biography of Hamilton. I saw “Hamilton” on Broadway and loved every second….rsk
Author Ron Chernow is seasoned at the art of signing books, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of George Washington to his best-selling, legacy-reviving portrait of Alexander Hamilton.
But in 2015, he scribbled his signature on something new.
“I never dreamed that I would be autographing Playbills,” he said.
Mr. Chernow, 66 years old, has been signing theater programs in his capacity as historical adviser to “Hamilton,” the Broadway musical about America’s first Treasury Secretary. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, read Mr. Chernow’s book and found inspiration, interpreting the founding father’s rags-to-riches story as a hip-hop narrative: An ambitious talent writes his way out of poverty but dies young, at the hands of a rival.
In 2008, Mr. Miranda invited Mr. Chernow to be a consultant, as a way to maintain historical accuracy while telling the story with contemporary music and stage technique.
The gig took Mr. Chernow out of his art-filled Brooklyn Heights home-office, where he is meticulously arranging his next book on about 25,000 4-by-6 index cards, and thrust him into the collaborative, sweaty process of creating a musical.
But the real change hit this year, as the show became a sensation, first off-Broadway at the Public Theater starting in January, then on Broadway, where it transferred in July.
Weekend Profile: Ron Chernow
- Wrote the biography of Alexander Hamilton that inspired the hit Broadway musical.
- Served as historical consultant to the show.
- Won a Pulitzer Prize for ‘Washington: A Life,’ his biography of George Washington.
- Working on a book about Ulysses S. Grant.
- Lives in Brooklyn, where he has an office in his home.
The cascade swept Mr. Chernow into the only-in-New-York frenzy around a hit musical, heightened by this particular show’s appeal across politics, industries and demographics.
“I have had, no exaggeration, people who I have not seen for 20 or 30 years contact me and ask if I can get them tickets,” he said, estimating he fields three to four calls or emails a day. “I end up spending a lot of time politely saying no.”
The year has brought Mr. Chernow experiences that he describes as “a biographer’s wish-fulfillment fantasy.”
Outside of the theater one night, actor Anthony Ramos, who plays John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, was signing autographs and spotted Mr. Chernow, “real incognito in the back,” the actor recalled.
“I wanted to give a shout out to Ron,” Mr. Ramos said. “If it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t be here.”
So, putting the author in the stage-door spotlight, he yelled: “Everybody, this is the guy who wrote the book!”
The scrum gasped and swiveled, applauding a man accustomed to tidy lines of fans at book stores.
“I was so startled by the crowd’s reaction, I simply waved and rushed off in a daze,” Mr. Chernow said, estimating there were 150 people. “I had never had a moment like that.”
ENLARGE The moment was unique not only because of the “demonstrative” fans, he said, but also because he had incorrectly imagined the cast would be full of feuding stars and prima donnas: “They’re all so damn nice. There has been very little backstage drama.”
Early on, Mr. Chernow was well aware that, as an historian, he had a rare front-row seat on musical theater history. He consistently attended all possible milestones, he said, such as key rehearsals and a cast-recording session.
What evolved was a warm, paternal relationship with the cast.
“Hardly anyone involved with the show is over 40,” he said. “The fact that they have embraced me is infinitely touching.”
Mr. Ramos found the support useful as the cast explored their characters’ relationships to Hamilton. “Ron would break things down,” he said. “People bombard him with questions. He’s so personable.”
Mr. Chernow did raise objections. For instance, Mr. Miranda wrote the drinking song “The Story of Tonight” for Hamilton and his friends Hercules Mulligan, John Laurens and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Hamilton would have met these characters years apart. But when Mr. Miranda explained he was establishing the quartet in the first act, Mr. Chernow let it go.
“I knew this wasn’t going to work if I was some finger-wagging pedant,” he said.
Other points stuck, said Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public, where Mr. Chernow raised a concern that Hamilton’s confession of blackmail and adultery came off as reckless, since he wasn’t publicly accused in the show.
In response, Mr. Miranda wrote a new, sinister line for Aaron Burr, hinting at trouble ahead: “Rumors only grow.”
“Of such details, great shows are made,” said Mr. Eustis. “Part of what Ron did for the cast was validate the gravitas of the enterprise.”
Mr. Chernow said he has seen the show about 40 times. Though he declined to comment on his financial deal, he said he pays for his tickets when he attends, about twice a month.
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“I always look over my shoulder to watch the audience, to see the immediate pleasure that the story is giving people, which is not an experience that a writer has,” he said.
Currently working on a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, Mr. Chernow said he has written it faster than usual, energized by the impact of 2015.
“With any piece of writing, you’re hoping that it will change something, and it seldom does,” he said. “Between the book and the show, we really changed the perception of Alexander Hamilton.”
As he sees it, inspiration is contagious.
“Lin has great gifts of compression and economy. Having gone through this with him will help me as a writer,” he said. “I treasure the whole year.”
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