The Burdens of History

Well, that's a pretentious title for what I plan to be a short and snappy blog entry. I recently saw the musical Hamilton on Broadway (it lives up to the hype) and I'm thinking about the extent to which a dramatist or fiction writer is expected to portray historic figures in a fair, reasonable light.
To put it in context, I read online that some historians have criticized Hamilton for its treatment of some of Alexander Hamilton's rivals and peers in the early years of the Republic.
Thomas Jefferson particularly is portrayed in a pretty satirical mode, and John Quincy Adams also is portrayed as a kind of phlegmatic caricature. (There seems to be little complaint about the treatment of King George III, who receives the most comical skewering.)
And I say: it's all fair game. Hamilton the musical isn't striving to be a history lesson. It's a dramatization of one of the more interest figures among the founding fathers of the United States. The play examines Alexander Hamilton's motives, his character, his ambition. It puts a spotlight on his enormous role in the formation of the republic. If Lin-Manuel Miranda used humor and caricature to achieve that goal, that's well within his rights as far as I'm concerned.
The show, even after three years on Broadway and several generations removed from its original cast, continues to receive a roaring ovation from the audience.

Girl from the North Country

I had been eyeing tickets for the Conor McPherson musical incorporating Bob Dylan songs, "Girl from the North Country," for a few days. I didn't realize that the production at the Public Theater, which was already nearly sold out, was still in previews. Then can Ben Brantley's ebullient review in the New York Times. I checked online after that review appeared, and the entire production run was sold out.
Enter the remnants of Hurricane Michael. I've had good luck getting theater tickets in bad weather, in the past, when a lot of people commuting in from outside of the city turn in their tickets rather than face the torture of driving into the city in bad weather. Still, it seemed something of a long shot, given how highly praised the production is.
But I went to the box office, and I was rewarded for my effort. I ended up seated near the center of a row, bout ten rows back from the stage.
Here's a quote from the Brantley review:
"What’s created, through songs written by Mr. Dylan over half a century, is a climate of feeling, as pervasive and evasive as fog. It’s an atmosphere of despair — with lyrics about lost chances, lost love and enduring loneliness — that finds grace in the communion of voices coming together."
Count me a bigger fan of Bob Dylan than I already was. And count me a big fan of playwright Conor McPherson as well. The story, which intertwines the residents and visitors to a boarding home in Duluth, Minnesota, during the Great Depression, is haunting, heartbreaking and often bleak, but McPherson uses Dylan's music to tease some hope and faith out of the beleaguered characters. The entire ensemble cast is excellent, but I'd have to single out Mare Winningham in particular for praise. Both her acting, and especially her singing, added depth and texture to the soul of this beautiful musical. 
According to the NYT review, representatives of Dylan actually approached McPherson about possibly using Dylan's songs as the basis of a musical. It seems to have been an inspired choice.