Hamilton at Durham Performing Arts Center

Hamilton is the type of transformative theatrical experience that has only occured a few times in the history of American musical theater. It joins the likes of Show Boat, Oklahoma! and West Side Story as game changers, creatice productions that forever redefined what came after them. Unlike most of its predecessors, however, Hamilton was created by one man, Lin‑Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music, lyrics, and book about the musical (only Stephen Sondheim can claim as much, and none of his productions were such blockbusters). In less than two years, it has exploded all box office records – it has sold $1bn worth of tickets – and was awarded every theatrical prize (including the Pulitzer prize for drama), garnering the kind of hyperbolic praise that no production can ever live up to. But Hamilton exceeds its own acclaim.