Whether you think “musical” is synonymous with “Hamilton” or are a dyed-in-the-wool Broadway habitué, you may be unaware that musical theater is not only a quintessential and indigenous American art form that predates jazz, but also has a long history of commenting on American cultural identity and social themes. (Eight musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.) I’ll outline the history and evolution of the Broadway musical from Show Boat (1927) to Hamilton (2015): what it is (and isn’t), where it came from, who influenced it, and how to experience it in the Bay Area, generously sprinkled with video clips.