fire for a heart

The show begins with Burr coming onto an empty stage in that burgundy coat.  "How does a bastard, orphan,“ etc.  Everyone else comes out in their off-white “storyteller” costumes, the ones that allow them to represent everyone and no one.  Daveed is both Jefferson and Lafayette; Jasmine is both Peggy and Maria.  Even Hamilton doesn’t have that brown coat until Eliza puts it on him.  (Later she takes it from him and Burr gives him his blue soldier’s coat, which killed me.)

In other words, every single character is able to take off their identity except Burr.  From the moment he first appears, the only character in a distinguishing color, he’s branded, and by the end of the song, he tells us why: I’m the damn fool that shot him.

Now I’m the villain in your history.