Five years after its Broadway debut in 2015, the immensely famous, and in many ways ground-breaking, musical Hamilton (Thomas Keil, 2020) has come to Disney+. As most people know, it tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, from his triumphs in war, to quick-witted debates, to his tumultuous love life. With a diverse cast and a blend of many music genres from hip hop to RnB to rap to classic musical theatre, the show quickly gained praise for, as writer and star Lin Manuel Miranda puts it, staging “the story of America then told by America now”. This, and the musical in general, has been subject to debate, especially since its release on Disney+ has coincided with protests and online discourse following the murder of George Floyd and other Black people by the police. Now that the whole world is talking about systemic racism within the United States and how big a role government policies play in it, a musical celebrating the white men who founded the country, and largely depicts them as anti-racist, isn’t as appealing to people as it was in 2015.
One thing this new release does achieve is finally make Hamilton more accessible. While the musical was always advertised to be for all of America, the fact is that only people who could afford tickets to a hit Broadway show, that always sold out immediately, could witness it firsthand. While the soundtrack has been widely available and popular, it doesn’t quite compare to seeing the action unfold. As someone who knew several songs quite well prior to seeing this new release, watching it made me understand the hype surrounding it, as the choreography, costumes, set, lighting and performances add so much to the experience, both in terms of plot clarity and emotional investment. Even though it lacks the live atmosphere of a theatre, the recorded performance has plenty of close-ups that allow the audience to relish in the fantastic acting the musical is rife with. These shots, which were filmed in between the two live shows that were taped, distinguish Hamilton from other recorded plays, the purpose of which is often a once-off live stream to a cinema.
In particular, it is Leslie Odom Jr.’s Aaron Burr that stands out. Like Salieri to Hamilton’s Mozart, he is jealous of his more popular and successful counterpart and narrates much of the story. This anti-hero gets some of the best songs of the show including ‘Wait For It’, which gives an emotional insight into the character, and the famous ‘Room Where It Happens’. Daveed Diggs and Jonathan Groff also give fantastic performances as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson and King George, respectively. Praise should also be given to Phillipa Soo (Eliza) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica) although it is a shame that the female characters sing of not much else than their love/lust for Hamilton, with him giving them very little attention in return.
Some of the weaker aspects of the musical are the characters of George Washington (played by the very talented Chris Jackson) and Alexander Hamilton himself (portrayed by Miranda). The former is simply relatively dull in comparison to the rest of the lively and complex characters, while Hamilton is by far the least likeable. The show comes dangerously close to falling into the trap of characters talking about someone being amazingly interesting without that person actually giving the audience much evidence of this. It should also be noted that Miranda doesn’t quite keep up vocally with the rest of the cast, although he does still deliver a strong performance. The lowest point of the show is the song ‘Say No To This’, in which Hamilton’s seeming inability to refuse starting an affair with a vulnerable woman is played off in moments as a joke and almost entirely as her fault. Jasmine Cephas Jones (Maria Reynolds) undoubtedly has a stunning voice but the scene is very problematic, as has famously been pointed out by Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan in her Netflix special Glitter Room.
Hamilton is, for the most part, a very well written and executed show that deserves much of the praise it’s getting, but the ‘phenomenon’ status it has acquired makes it all the more important for people to be critical of it. It also is not a film, despite what this release has been labelled as. While the editing was undoubtedly extensive and is well done, it is still a play. It will be interesting to see if this style of recorded performance will catch on within theatre, although it is unlikely that something less popular would do so and risk people not coming to see live shows. Hamilton’s popularity will likely only increase with this release, although the discourse around race in the US may cause it to be seen in a different light forever.
Hamilton is now available to stream on Disney+
