f Lin-Manuel Miranda: Digital age diva

Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, confounds the traditional definition of the musical theatre diva in both his identity and his methods of modern, digital fan engagement. His personal attributes do not fit the most obvious definitions of divadom: he is cis-male and most scholarship on divas presumes an outsized femininity; he is an author, whereas we think of divas as solely performers; he is not vocally powerful and divas’ voices are commonly overwhelming and strong. However, not in spite of the fact, but rather because Miranda troubles the traditional understanding of the diva, he also inspires passionately devoted fans, one of the most crucial elements defining divadom. He engages these fans with his masterful use of the Internet and social media. Miranda, by finding the perfect expression of his multi-layered identity online, offers an instructive model for understanding how the digital world provides a re-articulation of the notion of Broadway divadom.