FLORENCE – Florence-Lauderdale Public Library is hosting a special Hamilton night in anticipation of the smash musical’s upcoming performances in Nashville. The library’s event will be on Tuesday, December 10 and will start at 5:30 p.m. with a lecture on Aaron Burr, followed by a Hamilton sing-along at 6:15 p.m.
Author and historian Tony L. Turnbow will start the event with his presentation, “After Hamilton: Aaron Burr on the Natchez Trace.” After Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton, he traveled to the Natchez Trace to plot a mysterious scheme of rebellion, and Burr pulled Andrew
Jackson into the plot. Turnbow, author of Hardened to Hickory: The Missing Chapter in Andrew Jackson’s Life, will explore this fascinating story in regional history, as well as Burr’s subsequent trial for treason. The trial was one of the first celebrity trials, and it established precedents still relevant today.
Directly following Turnbow’s presentation, the library will host a sing-along performance of songs from Hamilton: An American Musical. The sing-along will be led by students from the University of North Alabama School of the Arts.
Hamilton debuted on Broadway in 2015 to broad acclaim and won eleven Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and was inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
Benjamin South— a music director, pianist, and classically trained singer— is organizing the sing-along performance. He described Hamilton as “a musical infused with American history, diversity, hip hop, and rap.” He says that the show “gained much of its popularity due to its ability to intrigue audiences from many different groups. Not only will the event foster historical knowledge to those who attend, it will enrich each person with a musical taste not traditionally on the Broadway stage.”
Jennifer Butler Keeton, the Public Affairs Coordinator at the library, says the event is an opportunity for fans of the musical to come together, and for the general community to learn about American history and to be introduced to the show.
“A lot of people in the Shoals know these songs by heart. They connect with the music, with the themes of perseverance and legacy, and with the complicated, flawed characters. We’re in the business of stories and learning, so we’re excited to celebrate this well-told story and to expand on the history explored in the musical,” says Keeton.
The sing-along portion of the event is officially licensed through the Hamiltunes program. For more information about these and other library events, visit www.flpl.org or the library’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/flplibrary.
