There is pride, reverence and humor in accounts of the mutual admiration Miranda has established with cultural A-listers, from historian Ron Chernow — whose biography Alexander Hamilton inspired the musical — to Questlove and Stephen Sondheim ... No one could tell Hamilton's story more comprehensively than the man who conceived it, and for that reason Revolution is a must-read for admirers — whether you've scored a ticket or not.
...like the dizzyingly dense show it chronicles, [Hamilton: The Revolution is] unusually inquisitive and smart ... McCarter’s access serves him well as he interviews participants and chronicles rehearsals and opening nights. And the essays of designers, producers and performers at work are perceptive. The book’s chief value, though, lies within the juicy footnotes that Miranda adds to the complete lyrics ... The lyrics and notes to this patriotic celebration-protest piece are worth lingering over — a rarity in Broadway musicals — and they are often printed in white against large color photos from the production. You get a vivid idea of how it all works onstage.
A high point of the book is the back-and-forth between Mr. Miranda and Ron Chernow, whose biography of Hamilton was the inspiration for the show ... Hamilton is wonderful. Hamilton: The Revolution is not. Rather, it’s a self-promoting, inside-baseball bore that is best enjoyed by perfervid fans of the show ... The Hamilton libretto, which is marbled through the book’s text, makes up for a lot, and Mr. Miranda’s witty and illuminating annotations are a lovely bonus.
