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Chris Staron is the creator of Truce, the award-winning Christian podcast that looks at history to deep dive into the Christian Church. You’re going to hear more about him and his work when you press that play button – and all of it is good stuff – but my goodness, after hearing his podcast, I just had to have him on the show! In fact, the latest episodes of Truce, as of this recording, have been on the founding fathers and other important aspects of American history, so it made sense to have him on for our Hamilton episode!
For starters, Chris shares his absolute love for Hamilton, and how he’s been a huge fan since it toured! We also dig into its questions on legacy, pride, and the unique benefit to having a story span many years. Then, we run headfirst into some fascinating trivia I collected for this episode, which sparks some great conversations on cut content and cultural impact. Afterward, Chris shares some historical inaccuracies that give insight into the way Lin-Manuel Miranda refined the flow of his play. And finally, I ask Chris what he thinks about the criticism helmed against Hamilton for its somewhat ironically titled ‘whitewashing‘ of the founding fathers.
Hamilton, the massively popular musical, chronicles the heroic and tragic history of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury for the United States of America. From orphaned child to one of the most powerful people in the colonies, Alexander Hamilton repeatedly finds himself at what will soon be considered key points in US history, and he’s not throwing away his shot!
In breaking new ground, Hamilton features a diverse cast performing typically white-roles with music that varies across popular modern genres such as hip-hop, R&B, Jazz, and a little-bit of British Invasion. It’s a hopeful look at history from the lens of the 2010’s, and one that’s found new life in its recent digital release via Disney Plus.
Hamilton is Rated PG-13 for language and some suggestive material. It features Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Chris Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Phillipa Soo. Directed by Thomas Kail. Hamilton is available on Disney Plus.
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Chris Staron is the founder of Truce, the award-winning Christian podcast that looks at history to deep dive into the Christian Church. Using interviews with experts, music, games, and recipes, Truce uncovers the things that glom onto the Christian church so that we can protect our witness to the world. It’s all about how we got here and how we can do better. Chris is also the writer/director of the films Bringing up Bobby and Between the Walls, and author of Cradle Robber.
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