On August 6th, 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s newest
musical Hamilton made its official Broadway debut at the Richard Rogers
Theatre after its initial Off-Broadway premiere at the Public Theater. It was the
second musical that Miranda had created following the 2008 production of In
the Heights and was inspired by the biography of American founding father
Alexander Hamilton that was written by historian Ron Chernow and published in
2004. And while the idea of a hip-hop/R&B musical about the history of
America may have seemed like a crazy idea when Miranda first showcased the
material that he working on at a White House event in 2009, the show immediately
became a pop-cultural phenomenon. The show currently stands as the 7th
highest-grossing Broadway musical since 1982 with a current gross of around
$612 million. And at the 70th annual Tony Awards, it earned an event
record 16 nominations and ultimately won 11 of them, including the top prize of
Best Musical. But now this brings us to today’s release, which is a unique one
given the circumstances. In June of 2016, three select performances of the show
were filmed by RadicalMedia (who had also produced a PBS documentary on it)
about less than a month before the departure of several key members of the original
Broadway cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. The rights to the footage
were purchased by Disney this past February for $75 million, with the goal of
having it released in theaters on October 15th, 2021. But then, as
you might have guessed… came COVID-19. The utterly devastating effects of the
pandemic effectively resulted in not only the closure of movie theaters
worldwide but also the closure of all Broadway theaters. And when it comes to the
latter, it was recently confirmed that the theaters would remain closed until
next year, which resulted in the decision to bump up the release of Hamilton’s
filmed production to make its official debut on Disney+ during the Fourth of
July weekend. Thus, those who haven’t yet had the chance to witness what has
arguably been the most popular Broadway musical in recent years can now experience
the bona fide masterpiece that is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton.
Hamilton is the story of the American Revolution as primarily
seen through the eyes of Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda). In 1776, the
orphaned Hamilton arrives in New York City, where he meets politician Aaron
Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.), statesman John Laurens (Anthony Ramos), aristocrat
Marquis de Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), and tailor turned spy Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete
Onaodowan). Together, they share their dreams of a nation where they’re free
from the brutal rule of Britain and King George III (Jonathan Groff). This then
leads to Hamilton being personally selected by Continental Army general George
Washington (Christopher Jackson) to be his personal aide-de-camp as America
begins to fight for its independence. Along the way, Hamilton also starts up a
relationship with socialite Elizabeth Schuyler (Phillipa Soo), who he ends up
marrying. Ultimately, America is successful in its efforts to abstain from
the British empire, with George Washington becoming the first official
President of the United States while Hamilton is tapped to be the Secretary of
the newly formed Department of the Treasury. However, while Hamilton does
proceed to develop many of the key techniques that would form our country’s
current financial system, he soon begins to come into conflict with Secretary
of State Thomas Jefferson (also Daveed Diggs) and James Madison (also Okieriete
Onaodowan) over some of his more radical ideas. And over the next few years, Hamilton
also proceeds to make some decisions that not only leave an incredibly devastating
impact on both his political and personal life, but also paves the way for a growing
rivalry with his old friend Aaron Burr, who has always longed for the success
that Hamilton has had.
So admittedly, this is a much different kind of film than most
of the ones I’ve covered over the years that are based on iconic Broadway
musicals. To be clear, this isn’t a traditional cinematic adaptation of its
source material like the upcoming adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s
other musical In the Heights (which was originally set to come out
around this time before being pushed back to next year thanks to COVID-19).
Instead, it’s simply just a filmed version of the show that’s made up of footage
that was compiled from three separate performances. As such, there’s admittedly
not much to talk about when it comes to the film production itself other than
the fact that RadicalMedia did an excellent job filming the musical. All the
footage is incredibly well-shot, perfectly capturing all the show’s key moments
whether it’s via a grand wide shot or an extremely intimate close-up. And despite
what I just noted about the fact that this was a collection of separate performances,
I assure you that you would never notice that because of how seamlessly edited
it all is. As for the show itself… really, what more can be said that hasn’t
been said already about Hamilton? It truly is a landmark outing in the history
of Broadway musicals as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s sharply written script and
instantly iconic musical numbers produce an incredible experience of sight and
sound. Each number fully succeeds at conveying the story and gives plenty of
depth to its characters, even those who are only in a few select sequences. All
this is then thoroughly matched by the terrific Tony-winning choreography by
Andy Blankenbuehler that is then elevated even further by the show’s incredibly
noteworthy set design that’s headlined by a pair of rotating turntables in the center
of the stage.
But, of course, another key element to the show’s success
has been its ensemble cast, and the original Broadway cast of Hamilton may
just be one of the greatest ensembles of any medium as everyone in that cast
from the main leads to the background ensemble dancers are perfect fits in
their respective roles. Now, of course, Hamilton has been known for its
colorblind casting process, allowing BIPOC performers to portray characters who
are historically white. Admittedly, this has been a source of controversy in
some cases (especially nowadays) given that some of these historical figures
were slave owners, but overall, it’s easy to see where Miranda was going when it
comes to making this a story about America as it was as told by America as it
is now. And while it goes without saying that the show doesn’t exactly tell the
full story behind its characters, there are still plenty of subtle hints to it
throughout in a show that I’d argue already does a fine job of exploring the
flaws of those who helped shape this country. Of course, it’s all headlined by
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who brings his full charisma to the role of Alexander
Hamilton while also perfectly conveying Hamilton’s boisterous nature which,
obviously, often leads to him making some truly fatal mistakes in life. He’s
then perfectly paired with Leslie Odom Jr. in the role of Hamilton’s biggest
rival, Aaron Burr (“Sir!”). And instead of just making Burr the archetypal antagonist
that ended up killing Hamilton in a duel, Hamilton goes above and beyond
to emphasize the tragedy that is Burr’s fate as “the villain in your history” even though he was just as important to this country’s growth as
Hamilton was. Another key figure with just as great of a stage presence is
Christopher Jackson in the role of our country’s first President, George Washington.
While Washington is arguably more of a supporting player in this story, Jackson
brings the perfect commanding presence that the role requires while also
highlighting the pressure that Washington was under to be the stalwart leader
for his country.
Moving over to Hamilton’s female leads, Phillipa Soo is
very much the heart of the production as Eliza Hamilton. While Eliza doesn’t
directly partake in the key political moments that her husband is involved in
before his death, she still serves as the prime exemplar of those who
Hamilton and his fellow patriots are fighting for, and in the scenes that they
share together, she’s ultimately the one who keeps her highly ambitious husband
grounded at just the right moments. And yet, when Hamilton partakes in a
scandalous love affair in Act 2, it is Eliza who delivers the most damning
critique of them all with her big Act 2 solo, ‘Burn’, where she promptly burns
the letters that her husband had written her, thus “erasing [herself] from the
narrative”. She also gets to headline the show’s grand finale, ‘Who Lives, Who
Dies, Who Tells Your Story’, an incredibly poignant number that reflects on her
trials and tribulations in maintaining her late husband’s legacy. Moving on to her
older sister Angelica, Renée Elise Goldsberry is equally terrific in a role
that’s just as deeply layered as Eliza’s even if it’s a slightly smaller one by
comparison. Right from her first major number that she shares with Eliza and
their sister Peggy (Jasmine Cephas Jones), ‘The Schuyler Sisters’, she’s
immediately established as a woman who’s clearly ahead of her time, and as for
her desire to find a “mind at work”, that ends up being fulfilled in arguably
the best possible way when she meets Hamilton. However, as heartbreakingly conveyed
in her big Act 1 solo, ‘Satisfied’, she ultimately has to hold back on the
romantic feelings that she’s fostered for him when he begins a relationship
with Eliza since she cares about her sister’s happiness above all else. As for
Jasmine Cephas Jones, while she admittedly doesn’t have much to do as Peggy (something
that even the musical straight-up acknowledges given all its historical context),
she also plays a second role as Hamilton’s mistress Maria Reynolds in one of
the big standout numbers of Act 2, ‘Say No to This’.
Jones, of course, isn’t the only one to take on a dual role
as almost every other key member of the main cast portrays separate characters
in each act. The most prominent of the bunch is Daveed Diggs, who plays two
characters who have distinctly different relationships with Hamilton. In Act 1,
he’s Marquis de Lafayette, one of Hamilton’s greatest allies in their fight for
freedom. In Act 2, he’s future President Thomas Jefferson, who’s Hamilton’s
biggest foe on the political stage. But in both cases, Daveed Diggs is an
undisputed stand out as the two characters who are very much the rock stars of
the whole production. Next up, there’s Anthony Ramos, who starts out in Act 1
as John Laurens, another key ally of Hamilton’s and a big proponent for the
abolishment of slavery. Sadly, this was something that he never got the chance
to see happen for himself as he tragically died in a battle that had occurred at
a point where the war was already over (as revealed in a number that was intentionally
left off the soundtrack, ‘Tomorrow There’ll Be More of Us’, so that the live
show could have something all its own). Moving over to Act 2, Ramos also plays Hamilton’s
firstborn son Philip, who’s shown to be a bona fide prodigy like his father… but
is tragically killed young in a duel that came to be because of Philip defending
his father’s honor. But while both of Ramos’ characters end up dying tragically,
the strong rapport between Hamilton and Laurens in Act 1 really shows how much
Ramos has flourished from Miranda’s material, which can be further illustrated
by him taking on Miranda’s In the Heights role of Usnavi in the upcoming
film adaptation. The final dual-role member of the cast is Okieriete Onaodowan
as Hercules Mulligan in Act 1 and James Madison (who, like Thomas Jefferson, would
go on to become President) in Act 2. And while these two are very much supporting
players in the larger story, Onaodowan makes the most out of them whether he’s
the boisterous Mulligan or the calm and collected Madison. Finally, who can
forget Jonathan Groff as King George III? Sure, it may not have been exactly
necessary to have him be in the story since he isn’t directly involved with any
of the main characters’ affairs, but Groff is another standout as the
delightfully hammy tyrant with some of the musical’s most entertaining songs.
I should probably note that, at the time of this review’s
publication, I’m one of the many who have yet to see Hamilton performed ‘live’.
Obviously, a lot of this is due to it being such a big hit that the hunt for
tickets has often been nigh impossible, but even when it came to Rhode Island
via one of its U.S. tours in 2019… that was at a point where I had officially
moved down to Florida. With all this in mind, there’s certainly a lot to
appreciate when it comes to this new release. While it obviously doesn’t replace
the experience of seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s modern masterpiece in the way that
it should truly be seen, RadicalMedia’s sharply-produced filming of the original
production is a wonderful option for those whose sole experience with Hamilton
is its soundtrack. And really, I’m curious if this ends up paving the way
for more filmed productions of popular Broadway shows down the road. Now, to be
clear, Hamilton isn’t the first Broadway musical to get this treatment
as it has happened before with shows like Cats and Phantom of the
Opera. In fact, this isn’t even RadicalMedia’s first foray into the medium as
they also did one of these for Rent in 2008 (which, ironically, also
starred Renée Elise Goldsberry). But perhaps the most important thing to note
here is that, despite what I just said, I do recognize why, from a financial
standpoint, this is usually a rare occurrence. Basically, to go off of what I
noted earlier, while it does provide a way for those who either A.) don’t live
in New York or B.) can’t really afford Broadway tickets to see these shows, it still
doesn’t come close to replicating the experience of seeing them live. And
considering the current predicament we’re in thanks to COVID-19, this is a case
just like the film industry where the world of theater needs all the support that
it can get right now. Still, given that this version of Hamilton was
recorded several years ago with the long-departed original Broadway cast, it ultimately
serves as an example of how something like this can be done in a reasonable
manner that won’t hurt the theater industry, especially since we’re talking
about a musical that does live up to the hype.
Rating: 5/5!
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