At the ripe age of 35, playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda has turned Broadway on its head with the production Hamilton— an unorthodox musical that tells the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton using hip-hop, rap and a cast of almost all minorities.

Miranda shattered all expectations of a stuffy historical musical when Hamilton made its off-broadway debut in Feb. 2015. Casting himself as the principal role of Hamilton, Miranda made the choice to have a racially diverse cast, adding an extra element of uniqueness to the show. The musical follows Hamilton, an orphan and immigrant, from the age of 17 as he uses his wit to succeed in America and ultimately helps lead the American Revolution. But the focus is not all on waging war; there are also elements of romance, betrayal and humor. The musical manages to defect from a bland biography while retaining historical accuracy.

Miranda’s brainchild has been in the making for several years, and the general consensus is that it was worth the wait. Those who have seen the musical along with those who have had the soundtrack on repeat since its release have been raving via social media. The tunes are catchy and on par with the latest rap despite the fact that the contents take place in the eighteenth century. Miranda wrote Hamilton on-and-off while he was still working on his previous project, In the Heights. In May of 2009, Miranda performed the opening song of what was then called The Hamilton Mixtapes at the White House and spent the next year perfecting the second song, My Shot.

Miranda’s innovative interpretation of history has reeled in countless numbers of Americans. If Hamilton’s popularity keeps up this trend, Broadway could very well be looking at the formation of a new classic.