Hamilton: Burr Narrates Because He's In Purgatory, Says Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. has come forward with his own theory on why his character Aaron Burr is the narrator of Hamilton, and it's deeper than anyone would've imagined. Hamilton has reigned as one of the most successful shows on Broadway and won 11 Tony Awards for its excellence. However, the majority of the pop culture world discovered Hamilton when its creator Lin Manuel-Miranda agreed to release recorded footage of the full musical on Disney+. With plenty of critical acclaim, Hamilton brought in 513,323 total Disney+ downloads worldwide the weekend it released.
Burr is easily Hamilton's number one rival throughout the musical and real life. Even though he is portrayed as the antagonist of the musical, Odom Jr. depicts him in a way that elicits sympathy. Burr is fiercely determined to achieve greatness and leave a legacy just like Hamilton. However, in the musical, Burr has a slow but steady wins the race approach to success. Hamilton beats him to the chase for the position of Washington's right-hand man during war and in Washington's cabinet during his presidency. Hamilton even steals Burr's friends and invites them over Burr to his wedding celebration. While Hamilton has admired Burr up until this point, Hamilton loses respect for Burr when Burr changes his party to gain a seat in the senate. The final straw for Burr is when Hamilton endorses his sworn enemy, Jefferson, for president over him.
If Burr is considered the musical's antagonist, then why does he narrate the musical? During an interview with MSNBC (via CinemaBlend), Odom Jr. shared his own take on why the story is told through his character's perspective. Odom Jr. explains that he has been playing the role as if Burr is trapped in purgatory and believes that killing Hamilton in the duel is what landed him there. Throughout the course of the musical, he has to relive the vital moments of his relationship with Hamilton to find out where he went wrong.
"I would think of it like purgatory, Burr’s purgatory. He didn’t know what it was that he had to learn. So he’s gonna come out tonight and tell the story one more time. And if he could just figure out where it went wrong, if he could just find the moment where it went wrong. And he could say, ‘Ah, there it is. Here’s where I made the mistake. Here’s where I should have stopped it.’ If he could just figure that thing out then he could move on."
As an actor, its critical for Odom Jr. to know why he is telling the story that he's telling. Having such a clear vision of what his character is going through is what has won him so much praise for his portrayal. Odom Jr. originated the role when it debuted off-Broadway and stayed in the role when it landed a spot on Broadway until July 2016. Even more impressively, he snagged the Tony for Best Supporting Actor when his counterpoint Lin Manuel-Miranda did not take the Tony for playing Hamilton. If anyone is qualified to assess what Burr's true purpose in the musical Hamilton is, it's Odom Jr.
The theory is pretty sound too. During the opening number, Burr is clearly remorseful about winning the duel against Hamilton, exclaiming, "I'm the damn fool that shot him." In the moment that the duel is happening, it's clear that in Miranda's interpretation, Burr feels regret the moment that Hamilton points his gun up to the sky, and his bullet makes impact with Hamilton. While duels were considered common practice, especially for major figures, during these times, they weren't the most ethically sound, and Hamilton was a peer that he knew personally and respected. This act could easily seal Burr's fate in purgatory, requiring him to assess his own actions. Fans can stream Hamilton on Disney+ to formulate their own theories.
Source: MSNBC (via CinemaBlend)