Synopsis:
The real life of one of America’s foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Filmed live on Broadway from the Richard Rodgers Theatre with the original Broadway cast.
What do you get when you mix Alexander Hamilton, the birth of America, and a musical blend of hip-hop, jazz, r&b, and Broadway? Probably a look of confusion on the faces of many. In actuality, it’s an experience that’s nothing short of spectacular. When it comes to musicals I’ve only seen a handful of them such as Cats, Rent, Hairspray, and a few others. While creative and impressive, none of them were transcendent in my opinion. So as I sat to view Hamilton, I didn’t know what to expect but I definitely didn’t plan on being as enthralled as I was. The songs are fun, imaginative, memorable, and my new favorite way to learn history. My favorite songs include Ten Duel Commandments, Cabinet Battles 1 and 2, and The Room Where It Happens. The choreography is fantastic, especially the way they use the rotating floor and with it being filmed we are able to fully feel the emotion conveyed on stage.
I’ve talked about the timing of releases in previous reviews and the timing couldn’t be any better. Not only does the subject matter of Hamilton coincide with the upcoming holiday, but also the current state of affairs going on outside and in the minds of everyone. It’s as much a reality check as it is a break from reality. It’s yesterday meets today, it’s Alexander Hamilton’s legacy told by the America he envisioned. With such a highly talented cast and great storytelling, Hamilton can be enjoyed by everyone. A great deal can be learned from this musical whether it be the entire story as a whole or details that you didn’t know about such as the Reynolds Pamphlet. Ultimately, it’s a story about a growing beef between two colleagues that eventually turns deadly. One wants to create change and lead the infant country into a bright future and the other doesn’t really stand for anything. It’s full of drama, passion, legislation, and action. Who knew history could be so entertaining, I enjoyed every second of it. From the first few lyrics, I knew it was a story I could relate to and needed to know its outcome. With a high rewatchabilty, I highly recommend Hamilton. The hype is real.
Plot & Pace
The story follows Alexander Hamilton starting from the Revolutionary War as he begins to make a name for himself. As America becomes independent, it needs leaders to help create a governing body that’s opposite the British rule they revolted against. With George Washington wanting to step down as President, it’s clear there are three men that hold tons of influence but whose ideals are very different. It becomes a battle of wits between Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Thomas Jefferson. Not only does it become violent along the way but it becomes deadly. With this story having a large amount of history it wants to tell, it’s spaced very well. Even if you feel it to be too lengthy, you forget about the time because it is extremely entertaining.
Characters & Chemistry
The entire cast was outstanding. Amazing voices, great choreo, great chemistry and exuberance. As far as this performance goes, I honestly don’t know how they could do any better. So this time I’m going to just focus on two actors that stood out to me. The first is Daveed Diggs who played Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. He brought levity and a swagger to both characters that are show-stealing. His rapping skills were on point as well. The second is Phillip Soo who plays Eliza Hamilton. She brings softness and purity to a masculine story and blew me away with her singing. It’s all so good.
Hamilton became available today on Disney+. Enjoy and stay safe.
Director: Thomas Kail
Writer: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ron Chernow
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 40m
Rating: 5 out of 5