嘻哈、移民与多元文化--音乐剧《汉密尔顿》的“革命性”与“美国梦”解读

Hip-hop,Immigrants and Multi-culture: the Revolutionary Musical Hamilton and the American Dream

作为一部以美国建国历史为背景、以美国国父之一汉密尔顿①生平经历为主线的百老汇音乐剧,《汉密尔顿》自2015年首演以来一直保持票房和口碑双丰收,并因其"革命性"而备受讨论和关注。从音乐风格来说,《汉密尔顿》的"革命性"在于以嘻哈音乐解构严肃历史,并将两者紧密融入音乐剧创作中,推动了百老汇音乐剧与嘻哈音乐自身的革新;从题材叙事来说,其"革命性"既在于它讲述的是革命历史与革命精神,更在于它将国父传奇重构为移民追逐"美国梦"的典型故事,反映了美国社会的移民本质,并与当下美国现实产生共鸣;从角色塑造来说,它以非传统选角方式的创新及多元化角色形象的重塑来反思并再建构历史,以此为少数群体发声,同时重塑其对"美国梦"的认同。

As a Broadway musical detailing the history of the founding of the United States and the founding father Alexander Hamilton,Hamilton: An American Musical has been enjoying both high grossing and public praise since it began to run in 2015. It is also discussed as a revolutionary musical. As for the music style,Hamilton deconstructs serious history with hip-hop music and integrates hip-hop into one Broadway musical. This pushes forward the innovation of Broadway musicals and hip-hop music itself. As for narration,Hamilton not only tells the revolutionary history but also constructs it into a typical American story of immigrants chasing the American Dream,which reflects that America is a nation of striving immigrants and resonates with the present society. As for casting,Hamilton combines the diversity of America in the twenty-first century with American history in the eighteenth century by using the nontraditional casting methods and the reshaping of diversified characters,which not only helps the minority to speak out but also reshapes a sense of the American identity.