Even in ‘Hamilton,’ a glimpse of mediocrity
In new research, Derek Miller, an assistant professor of English, makes the case for the study of Broadway productions “that are not outstanding either in their glory or their failure, but were born and died decidedly average.” Miller sees these mediocre efforts as critical to fuller understanding of the evolution of art and the nature of artistic competition. In a Gazette interview, he talked about “average Broadway,” what makes “Hamilton” ordinary, and why macro thinking deepens our appreciation of theater. GAZETTE: How did you come to be fascinated about what big data has to say about Broadway? MILLER: I was teaching a new course, “American Plays and Musicals, 1940-1960,” and was struck by the relationships among so many mid-century Broadway plays and musicals. It was easy to take a bunch of musicals and find a non-musical play that spoke to the same themes or involved similar characters. So I began to...