Hamilton

Who tells your story? Who tells my story? Talk less, smile more. Tonight I saw the musical Hamilton (2020) on Disney+. To begin with let me tell you I do know a little about the founding fathers of America, but not the story of Hamilton (1) and I am not an American, but born and raise in The Netherlands (2). And before I say more, the musical is just great.

I like all the players, the costumes, the dance and the songs. When you ask me who of the five players you like best I would say Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Jonathan Groff as King George (such a great performance!) and Chris Jackson as George Washington. Offcourse a great compliment for Miranda, who was also responsible for the story and music; he also was one of the producers.

There where great scenes and songs throughout. I find the hip-hop awesome from the beginning to the end. As a not-American I had a little time to adjust, but with the capital on a little time. With the first song going I became fascinated. Okay yes, the best enjoyment would be to have been there live. Never the less, seeing it on your television has also positive things for it to say. Some scenes you can see from a different angle and you get some fine close-ups. To end, as said, a great musical I enjoyed very much.

I started watching this out of curiosity and to say I have seen it, being the cultural touchstone that it is. At first, I was a little detached, not liking the songs too much, and thinking I would probably just skip through to end in a minute. I couldn't stop watching and it really sucked me in. I have to say, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it at all, live in the theater. I benefited greatly from the captions and the ability to put it on pause to consult Wikipedia from time to time. The lyrics were so clever and really told the story. I ended up very moved and almost cheering at the end. Of course, now that I am familiar with the story, I would love to see it live and would enjoy it immensely. But I would strongly recommend this for a first time viewing. I will definitely re-watch. And probably again and again.

Never believe the hype. I didn't believe it. For years I had heard so much about a play about of all people Alexander Hamilton-but done to rap or something similar? Can't be good and maybe offensive. But then the noise of its greatness never quieted. So when it finally came to my town I had to see it. But first I listened to the soundtrack. I was hooked. Despite mezzanine seating I was floored how good the play was. I repeated the soundtrack. Day after day and the message became clearer. News of a movie but then a live taping with the original cast. I couldn't wait. Up close made all the lyrics more amazing. The story was better than I recalled. Outstanding performances. I truly loved it.

Very intense! I knew the cast album, but it still was amazing. The performances were better than the album, more emotional. Eliza's sceenes were believable, King George was funny. Jefferson and Hamilton go against each other, and the audience loved it. Even though I knew it was coming, Hamilton's final scene was horrible. The audio describer was good, sometimes describing the action during the applause, before the singers started singing, or describing during a song. For example, before the Skuylar Sisters song starts he says, "Burr." Then, he said "The Skuylar sisters hold up their silk gowns, dancing in the center of the rotating stage." After that song, he describes the next one before they start singing. Thank you, Disney Plus for funding the audio description.

Whether you are a musical theatre regular or just enjoy a good story, this performance is really a theatrical experience and deserves to be viewed by everyone. As someone who never gets to see Original Broadway Casts, this film was an amazing opportunity for me and so many others. I absolutely loved it.