I never thought I’d experience “Hamilton” for the first time on my couch, but that’s 2020 for you.
It’s been a strange year, to say the least, but getting a front row seat to one of the most hyped shows on Broadway was a pleasant surprise amid all the negativity of the pandemic.
After watching the Tony-award winning musical on Disney Plus this month, more than a year ahead of when it was originally slated to be released, I can now definitively say that it lives up to the hype.
Other than knowing it was one of the hottest tickets on Broadway and that it was a new take on American history, I did not know what to expect when I reactivated my streaming account for the viewing.
I have had mixed reactions to movie musicals in the past, particularly those that have been adapted from stage performances.
While I enjoyed “Into the Woods” both when I saw it live and watched the film version, I was not a big fan of “Chicago” when I rented the movie online earlier this year.
I was also a bit put off by the nearly three-hour long running time for “Hamilton,” which would usually be broken up by a lengthy intermission.
But as soon as I tuned in, I was pleasantly surprised.
It was not a typical film adaption, but simply a recording of a Broadway performance from 2016, complete with reaction from the audience to make it more of an interactive experience.
Whereas constant singing in lieu of traditional spoken dialogue can sometimes get tiresome in other musicals, the creativity of using hip hop, rap and pop music to retell the story of the Founding Fathers never made it feel irritating in this one.
And it was downright hysterical every time the play’s main antagonist, King George III of England, came on stage to comment on the various aspects of the American Revolution, through pithy musical numbers of course.
While watching a film from home can’t match the excitement of seeing a Broadway show live in New York City, the filmmakers for “Hamilton” captured enough of that magic to make it a worthwhile experience.
