Is Hamilton on Disney Plus Worth Watching?

Image Credit: Disney and Hamilton

My love for musicals has reached new heights after watching Hamilton on Disney Plus. Supposedly to be streamed in October 2021, but due to the current situation of the year 2020, they decided to show Hamilton earlier.

If you do not know, I have seen 19 theatre productions live to date. With the recent health crisis, COVID-19, I have not been able to add any more musicals to my belt.  I have heard positive reviews about Hamilton Musical for about a few years now. And it has been one of the plays I was more than excited to see. Alas, when my husband and I went back to the US in 2017-2018, which was the year the original cast was about to retire. Tickets skyrocketed to about at least 400 USD per person. Not only that, you need to book the tickets months in advance. Thus, when I came back, I was only able to see Miss Saigon and Anastasia in Broadway. Thank God for the partnership with Disney Plus, I recently saw Hamilton in the comforts of my home. Here is my review for the play.

Firstly, I miss the acoustics. Live performances have different look, feel and sound. As a viewer, I get to feel the story more immensely live than at home. With that being said, it did not take away much from the entertainment factor of this play. One of two musicals I have watched on TV wherein they are singing the whole time, Les Miserable is the other, I had to get used to this format for a few minutes. I was delighted to hear prominent American musical cadence, from rap to RnB to blues. The songs were giving me Kanye West, Craig David, Will Smith and Eminem sound. I love the incorporation of beat boxing and scratch sound effects to the rap songs. If King George III is singing, then it changes to your typical medieval tones. And as for the Schuyler Sisters’ songs, they definitely have Destiny’s Child inspiration.  Out of all the songs I have heard, my favourites are Helpless, Satisfied, You’ll Be Back and Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.

The storyline stressed the importance of Hamilton as an important founding father of the United States of America. The theatre actors and actresses were incredible performers. What I appreciate most about the casting was the employment of more people of colour (POC) in their main cast. The storytelling prowess of Lin-Manuel Miranda impressed the hell out of me. Hamilton combines my two loves, history and musicals, so you best believe I highly enjoyed this.

In terms of costume, hair and make up, they were era-appropriate. Attention to detail was impeccable. As for the stage design, it was simple. They only have one design but they made it work. The use of the rotating stage floor was genius. It not only moved the storyline along but also provided additional emotion to the sad and intense scenes. I especially loved seeing the reverse scene as it reminded me of the reverse scenes of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Lighting direction was on point. I love the red, white and blue lights pertaining to the American flag, and those colours were only used to emphasise patriotic scenes. The mood lighting stressed the gravitas of certain scenes too.

The issues faced by musicals being recorded and produced, as a movie for the masses to see in a different arena besides the theatre is they cannot capture as much essence of the story as they should. They change from tight to long shots, which does not provide enough contexts to the viewer. But Hamilton like Phantom of the Opera as the Royal Albert Hall was the exception to the rule. The director and producers of this movie did a fantastic job to keep my full attention through out the entire play. That’s how great it was.

Overall, I am glad to have seen this play during the pandemic. It definitely took my mind off from the problems of the world for a few hours. I highly recommend this play to everyone who loves musicals as much as I do or is curious to see a play for the first time.