NEW YORK CITY – Fresh off his hit Broadway smash hit “Hamilton” and starring appearance in “Mary Poppins,” Lin-Manuel Miranda is once again planning to take the world by storm. The actor/composer/playwriter/seemingly nice dude recently announced that he’d be writing a hip-hop musical based on the life of GM CEO Mary Barra (which is aptly titled “Barra”).
“I purchased a random 15-page biography about her off Amazon,” Miranda explained in an exclusive interview with The Lemon. “I was reading it on the plane, and I thought to myself ‘I could somehow make this story into a musical.’”
The story will chronicle Barra’s slow rise through the company, with the first act culminating in GM’s 2009 Chapter 11 bankruptcy and federal bailout. The second act will focus on her being promoted to CEO in 2014… as well as the subsequent fallout from her hiring.
Some are already criticizing Miranda’s decision to retain the end of Hamilton’s second act. This includes plot devices like his/her son’s death (in Miranda’s adapted version, this comes in the battle between the 2019 Chevy Colorado vs 2019 GMC Canyon…at which time, the Colorado ends up dying) and his/her ultimate demise at the hands of rival Aaron Burr (this role has been switched to Ford CEO James Hackett).
“Some people may point out that Ford is struggling more than Chevy, and that’s right,” Miranda said. “The Burr/Hamilton duel might end up being a proper reflection of the company.”
This includes the brand’s recent announcement that they’d be shutting down numerous plants and would be cutting their workforce by 15 percent. These moments will be reflected in songs like “This is a Good Decision” and “But Our Stock Projection is in Great Shape.”
Of course, considering Miranda’s busy schedule, the composer admitted that he’s going to be relying on some of the music from Hamilton to help make up for any future lost time.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Miranda said. “Half my lyrics don’t rhyme, anyway.”
For instance, he told us that he’ll be reusing the hit song “My Shot,” and he’ll simply replace any Hamilton-related terms or statements that apply to Barra. In fact, Miranda provided us with an excerpt of that song:
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I’m just like my comp-ney
I’m white, wealthy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot
I’ma get a call from the president
I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dang, I amaze and invent
The problem is I got a lot of brains and no accent
I don’t gotta holler just to be heard
With every word, I drop knowledge
I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin’ to reach my goal to beat out Ford, we’’ll-be-affordable
Only 57 but my mind is younger
These Ohio streets get colder, I shoulder
Every burden, every disadvantage
I have learned to manage, I don’t have a truck to brandish
I walk these streets famished
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame
But damn, it’s getting dark, so let me spell out the name
I am the M-A-R-Y-B-A-R-R-A we are meant to be
Predictably, fans around the country are already trying everything in their power to be among the first to see the musical. Self-proclaimed “Lin Superfan” Melanie Tucket told The Lemon that she can’t wait to hear the soundtrack for “Barra.”
“I, like, just can’t, like, wait for the musical to come out,” the star of Lincoln High’s version of “High School Musical” told The Lemon. “I’m, like, such a Lin-Manuel-head. Like, totally obsessed. He just, like, resonates with everyone.”
Others, including racist old lady Barbara McGlufunchery, told The Lemon that the musical has no place on Broadway.
“Broadway is about the lights and the dancing and the big production numbers… not hip-hop,” she told The Lemon. “Let me just say that I will not be attending that musical.”
The musical is still likely a year away from debuting, but Miranda hinted that we’ll be hearing about any updates throughout the year.
