Hamilton took Broadway and the world by surprise in 2015, becoming one of the most important musicals of all time and establishing itself as a cultural phenomenon.
This year, not so long ago, Disney+ (Disney's new streaming service, similar to Netflix) released a live recording of the musical, directed and produced by Thomas Kail. I had the great honor to watch it with my daughter, who is a fan of musicals and adores this one. She had been talking about it for years and I was familiar with may songs, however, this was the first time that I had actually seen it and paid attention to each one of the lyrics with the help of subtitles.
"My name is Alexander Hamilton. There's a million things I haven't done. Just you wait"
I was pleasantly surprised by this magnificent show and I just had to write about it!
The genius writer and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also plays Hamilton in the original Broadway run, had the innovative idea of making a musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. What makes it so special is that the characters are not played by a white cast but a rather diverse one, as well as the incorporation of rap and hip-hop, something that is quite rare in Broadway that is quite conservative in its musical genres.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is quite brilliant, as he had a previous Broadway hit with his show In the Heights. He wrote the whole show almost all himself and even taking the lead role of Hamilton, Miranda's talent is limitless, perhaps he even mirrors Hamilton, writing non-stop with a hunger for success.
Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now"
This film captures the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching this musical on Broadway. The tickets to watch Hamilton were quite pricey and it's even more difficult to watch it with the original cast, something that has been impossible to do for many years since their last show, the actors moving on to different new projects.
The shots are magnificent, enhancing different scenes in ways that could not be achieved as an audience on the actual show, making it even more engaging, exciting, and providing a new experience even for the fans who were already familiar with the musical.
"I'm just like my country. I'm young, scrappy, and hungry and I'm not throwing away my shot
An Unforgettable Experience with an Amazing Cast
One of the most impressive things about Hamilton is it's cast, each actor being extremely charismatic and impossible forget... However, there are two actors that truly stuck out to me, one being Leslie Odom Jr as Aaron Burr, the main antagonist of this musical.
The dynamic between Hamilton and Aaron Burr reminded me a lot of the one portrayed in the film Amadeus, that one of Mozart and Salieri. Hamilton and Burr have the most important relationship in the film and Leslie is able to make an iconic character out of Burr, making us understand his character and how he goes from just being a friend and a rival to a full-on antagonist. The man is also an amazing singer and his stage presence is outstanding, he won a Tony for this role, as he deserves.
"Talk Less. Smile More. Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for."
Daveed Diggs also stood out, he won a Tony for his performance of not one, but two characters: Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, the man has a great stage presence, he is a great rapper and his musical numbers usually have a lot of energy, dances and amazing rap.
I must admit that I had a lot of fun with the interpretation of King George III, his acts serve as comic relief and Jonathan Groff plays him amazingly well.
On the other hand, the three actresses of the cast are each one perfect for their roles, Phillipa Soo as Elizabeth Schuyler the kind, sweet and patient wife of Alexander Hamilton who plays a major role in the story, being the leading female character; Renée Elise Goldsberry as the empowered Angelica Schuyler, Eliza's devoted sister and also one Hamilton's best friends, and finally, Jasmine Cephas Jones as both Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, the latter being a more interesting role as Maria plays a major factor in the main character's demise.
"Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away."
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A Phenomenom, The Musical of an Era
Hamilton manages to achieve greatness. The whole score that lasts over 2 hours is full of amazing songs, there isn't even one of them that I consider a bad or boring one, my personal favorites are:
Non-Stop, The Room where it Happens, Battle of Yorktown, What did I miss?, Wait for it and You'll be Back
This is the perfect musical to watch, as it is educational, fun, full of emotions and also filled with energy and amazing songs. This film provides a time capsule for one of the best musicals of all times, one you must watch if you haven't, just, give it the chance, I promise you won't regret it.
"I know that we can win I know that greatness lies in you But remember from here on in: History has its eyes on you."
