[TomAbel]

Here is two interesting articles from The Economist where they analyse the success of Hamilton[1] and where they see if you could have predicted the success of Hamilton[2] and here is a in depth post on the data and methodology of the model they created and used[3]

[1]https://www.economist.com/business/2016/06/16/no-business-li...

Archive of the first Article https://archive.md/L3xzV

[2]https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2016/06/15/...

Archive of the second Article https://archive.md/oylse

[3]http://www.economist.com/broadway-business

Archive https://archive.md/5HUpH

[dehrmann]

The main sign it was going to be a success was a performance Lin-Manuel Miranda did at the White House. Listen for where the laughs are; they're not there when you see it on Broadway (and I assume The Public Theater).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE

That's important because the premise is high school cringy. Let's take a historical story and set it to rap! If it wasn't so well-executed, it would have come off as painfully gimmicky.

[anm89]

I would say the general perception is that it was extremely cringey.

Obviously they found a large enough audience that disagreed but I don't think they were a majority.

Obviously anecdotal.

[B1FF_PSUVM]

> could have predicted the success

Some wag, noting how economists were better at explaining the past, remarked they had successfully predicted nine out of the last five crises ...

[tsimionescu]

There's also an observation that economists are the people most able to tell you how long your nails will be in 5 years assuming you never cut them.