Theater History and Mysteries
The deepest dives you can find anywhere into the history and backstory of the great musical productions. Dense content...for people who aren't. And, I’ll never miss an opportunity to pursue any mystery, bizarre coincidence, improbable event, or supernatural suggestion along the way because, in the words of Dirk Gentley, it is all connected.
You can contact me directly at theaterhistorypodcast@gmail.com
Released every other Tuesday.
Music by Jon Bruschke and Andrew Howat, arranged, performed, and recorded by Andrew Howat.
Check out the interview on Musical Theater Radio, episode 404: https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com/podcast
Theater History and Mysteries
Hamilton -- Lafayette and werewolves (Hamilton 6 of 12, episode 43)
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This is a show about Hamilton the musical, and it’s about one of the main characters. The point is to give some deep backstory to figure, and as I have promised, to never miss an opportunity to explore a crazy coincidence or good ghost story along they way.
This is the 6th episode about Hamilton, and this is our ghost story. Or rather, a monster story.
There were plenty of crazy coincidences in this guy’s life. It seemed like history was swirling around him, as events in his life and in world history were moving back and forth across continents and within huge countries, and they almost seemed to land him in the middle of things that would make a statistician shake their head against the impossible odds that one person could walk into that many different major moments.
What was his secret? Was it that he, like Hamilton himself, found himself orphaned with nothing but his wits and his drive to climb his way up to the top of society? Was there a social climb for this man, who rose from an entirely obscure and forgotten line of minor nobility to being an international figure?
No, that was all the unlikely deaths by the time he was two.
But, he did seem to have an affability and hopefulness, almost an obliviousness to the fact that other people might not like him. That WAS part of his character, but it wasn’t the the thing that has convinced many serious historians that he had raw courage, that he was someone who was unafraid in the face of danger, who was willing to enter a fight that he probably couldn’t win just for the sake of who he was.
What convinced historians of that piece of this man’s makeup?
Why, the werewolf hunts, of course.
This is about the hero of two worlds, and his role in the most famous werewolf incident to that point in history, and maybe ever. We’ll learn about the Marquis de Lafayette’s role stalking the Beast of Gevaudan in this episode of THM.