34 February 28 • 2019
jn

David Korins

exhibit
arts&life

Hamilton: 
The Exhibition

T

he people behind the Broadway musical 
Hamilton will satisfy the curiosity of its multi-
tude of fans with a sprawling, high-tech, inter-
active, 360-degree immersive attraction that tells the 
Founding Father’
s story and answers questions that go 
above and beyond the musical.
Hamilton: The Exhibition premiers April 6 in 
Chicago. Upon entering a 27,000-square-foot all-weath-
er tent at Chicago’
s Northerly Island, visitors will be 
greeted with an introductory video by Lin-Manuel 
Miranda on a huge projection screen. His voice will also 
provide narration throughout the entire experience. 
Visitors will pass through more than 20 rooms, 
hallways and galleries, learning that “history is not 
inevitable,
” says David Korins, the exhibition’
s creative 
director who also designed the set for the 
Hamilton stage production. 
“Because Hamilton has sparked 
intense conversation about the founders 
and framers of our country, we thought 
we’
d take a deeper dive into the subject 
matter with real museum/exhibition 
rigor,
” Korins explains.
Hamilton lead producer Jeffrey Seller, creator Lin-
Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail and orches-
trator Alex Lacamoire, along with Korins, are the key 
players getting this project into motion. 
“Jeffrey grew up in Detroit and had important sem-
inal experiences as a child going to museums there,
” 
says Korins, who grew up in a Reform Jewish home 

in Mansfield, Mass. “He was enamored with the idea 
of children learning about history in a new and inter-
esting way and educating them through an important 
pop-culture experience.
”
But, says Korins, who has created set designs for 
numerous Broadway shows including Motown the 
Musical and Dear Evan Hansen, “while in the musical 
it was necessary to take some poetic license in creating 
an artistic endeavor, the exhibition goes further into 
the subject matter to talk more specifically about what 
actually happened.
” 
For historical accuracy, the group consulted with 
Hamiltonian experts Joanne Freeman, professor at Yale, 
and Annette Gordon-Reed, professor at Harvard. 
The journey through Hamilton’
s life and the history 
of the American Revolution takes visitors from the 
Caribbean island of St. Croix, where Hamilton became 
a trader and was caught in a swirling hurricane that 
swept the island, all the way to the dueling grounds in 
Weehawken, N.J., where Hamilton was fatally shot. 
Among the attractions, attendees will walk down a 
gangplank into the streets of New York, observe George 
Washington’
s war tent, see Hamilton’
s office and visit 

the Schuyler mansion, where they will meet historical 
figures including George and Martha Washington. 
Visitors will learn what it took to form our coun-
try and for Britain to surrender. There’
s also a Legacy 
Room that shows what Hamilton’
s wife, Eliza, did for 
the 50 years after his death. Throughout the exhibit, 
replicas from the era will be on display, and music from 
the Hamilton soundtrack will be heard.
“I am excited to show how Alexander Hamilton’
s 
story was one of the best immigrant stories in our 
country’
s history,
” Korins says. “He started with nothing 
and moved to the height of politics. He designed our 
electoral college, our financial system, our immigration 
policy. He was one of the most important figures in 
history.
”
For now, the exhibition is scheduled to run in 
Chicago through September. There is talk of taking it 
on the road to more cities around the country.
“We chose Chicago because it’
s right in the middle 
of the country, accessible to a lot of people, is a great 
museum town and is where the musical Hamilton has 
been playing for 2½ years,
” Korins says. 
“
Chicago wanted us here, and they have the space 
and land to mount this huge endeavor. My hope and 
dream is that we can bring as many people as possible 
to see the exhibit, and that we can spark a deep and 
meaningful conversation on what it means to be an 
American.
” ■

— Alice Burdick Schweiger

details
Tickets are timed and available on Ticketmaster.com and 
HamiltonExhibiton.com. $39.50, adults; $32.50, seniors/
military; $25, ages 4-14. For groups of 10 or more, contact 
Broadway in Chicago at (312) 977-1710.

