Let me suggest a reason for such casting--the only reason that seems to fit the facts;--that the producer wants to create an illusion that the founding of America was not the achievement of particular people--as of course it was--but of some sort of vague ideological fantasy. The only reason anyone would think that a justifiable, much less clever approach, is if one wants to break down the concept of the continuity of a people.
Would it make any sense, for example, if someone making a play or a movie about the late great agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver, to cast the lead role with a White actor? Or how about a movie of a great boxer of any race, with an actor racially quite different, looking not at all like the achiever being portrayed?
Particular individuals achieve in life's quests. Achievement is never a matter of fanciful flights, to prove fantasy points. Individuals achieve; sometimes in groups, acting together, sometimes individually acting alone. But fudging the identity of who actually achieved at any point of time, in any particular area of endeavor, is not conducive to treating the actual achievers with respect.
The premise of the play was that all Americans were immigrants including one Alexander Hamilton who came from a less than ideal background. The fact that he succeeded is proof that immigrants can succeed.
If play attendees and the racially charged cast got the message that immigrants can succeed by becoming Americans then that would be a good thing and the racism device used by the producers could be seen to have had some useful purpose.
There is one disconnect however, Hamilton wanted to become a successful person and a positive contributor to America by becoming an American. The subliminal message of the play and by many dividers in America today is that immigrants should resist becoming Americans and instead create a Balkanization of our once great country.
We now have a chance to make America great again. We need to be one people, the color of which doesn’t matter, and not remain a country encouraged by a demagogue who insists on disharmony and conflict for his own destructive reasons.
Takeaway from your post, which I agree with: When black people achieve something great, their race is an important, intrinsic fact. When white people achieve something great, their race is of zero importance.
Well said. Give credit where it is due.