HAMILTON [Disney+]

What better way to celebrate the 4th of July weekend than to watch Hamilton on Disney+. Diane and I had seen Hamilton in Boston (you can read my review here) and a month later saw Hamilton again when it arrived in Buffalo.

This Disney+ version was filmed in 2016 while most of the principal actors were still performing in this production. Lin-Manuel Miranda captures Alexander Hamilton’s drive and determination. Stage director Thomas Kail pulls double duty as director of this TV movie. One of my favorite characters, King George (Jonathan Groff), gets plenty of close-ups.

Leslie Odom Jr. dazzles as Aaron Burr. I loved Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton. This TV version varies from the stage productions we’ve seen in the perspectives the camera provides and the close-ups of the actors. Disney originally planned to broadcast Hamilton 15 months from now. But, with the coronavirus raging, Disney decided the time was right to offer it on Disney+ now. I’m glad they did! Have you seen Hamilton? GRADE: A

25 thoughts on “HAMILTON [Disney+]

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    No. Not a fan of musicals but I would be curious to watch this. But no way am I getting another streaming service for one thing. And no I have no interest in the Mandalorian. And I never considered spending a small fortune to see it live. My daughter had to pay over $200 per ticket when it played Detroit.

    Reply
  2. Jeff Meyerson

    No. As a rule, I try and avoid the overly hyped. I am not going to spend hundreds of dollars on any show. I find it offensive that they ran this on Disney + only.. We’ll see it someday, I’m sure.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, I agree with you that DISNEY+ decided to bring HAMILTON to the small screen as a commercial strategy to boost their streaming service.

      Reply
  3. Michael Padgett

    I’m not a fan of musicals either, but I’d like to see this. But, like Steve, I just can’t see adding another streaming service, especially one that has only one thing I want to see. I read last night that Disney has dropped their free trial offer to keep people from signing up just to watch “Hamilton”. I already have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and will eventually be getting HBO Max at no cost because I’m an HBO cable subscriber. Hulu has a bundling deal where you can add Disney + and ESPN + for a fairly minimal cost, but I don’t care about ESPN + either. As President Orange is constantly saying, “we’ll see what happens”.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Michael, eventually HAMILTON will show up on DVD and Blu-ray. Diane and I played the soundtrack to HAMILTON for months before we saw the production in Boston.

      Reply
  4. maggie mason

    I saw the touring company in San Diego and loved it. I had already got the cast recording so had my favorite songs (especially King George). I wasn’t disappointed.

    The tickets were first offered to season ticket holders, and I’m not, so my friend Nancy got them for me and another friend. She was on hold for over an hour.

    I don’t have any streaming services, due to lack of tech skill. I had netflix for a while, but couldn’t figure out how to fast fwd, so that was a bust, and they offered few to no new movies. I have HBO, but haven’t explored hbo max, only want it on my tv and not having a smart tv, not sure if it’s possible.

    I figure they’ll eventually offer it on DVD/blue ray and I’ll get it then.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Maggie, some cable systems are bundling DISNEY+. The DVD and Blu-ray for HAMILTON may show up in stores and online before Christmas.

      Reply
    2. Jeff Meyerson

      I don’t know if it is just New York, Maggie, but Jackie saw a thing this morning saying we have free Starz, Cinemax & Epix for the next 48 hours. We’re going to record that Tom Hanks/Mr. Rogers movie, and Jackie picked a few other things. It could just be Fios or it could be everyone. Check your system.

      Reply
      1. maggie mason

        thanks we get that sometimes, we used to be able to record anything they had or at least play it, but now it’s just what is showing

  5. Fred Blosser

    I’m not particularly a fan of musicals, but I was impressed by the energy and technical polish of the show, by Miranda’s ingenuity and the quality of the performances. Can’t imagine the sheer amount of work that must have gone into it. Interesting companion piece with the venerable 1776. We saw the show courtesy of our older daughter, who subscribes to the Disney service. I asked if Disney streams the old stuff — Davy Crockett, 20,000 Leagues, Treasure Island, Dr. Syn, the MMC. She said no. I should have guessed.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Fred, our daughter lobbied for us to see HAMILTON years ago. Daughters seem to possess that Super Power. I’m guessing Disney+ will start adding more content. I’d like to watch DR. SYN again!

      Reply
  6. Patti Abbott

    Saw it in Detroit but it was a bad time for me so I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I was able to on Disney on the 3rd. I got Disney for free because I use Verizon for my cell phone. There were a lot of ways to get a free year. It is the first time I ever turned it on though. Can’t wait to see his movie version of IN THE HEIGHTS, which we saw a few years ago. It comes out in 2021.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Patti, Diane and I saw IN THE HEIGHTS a few years ago when it came to Buffalo. The movie version is finished and was supposed to open this Summer, but the Coronavirus changed all that. I’ll be looking for IN THE HEIGHTS in 2021.

      Reply
  7. Dan

    Saw it with someone I love, who had also seen it on stage. Brilliant, and I must add that the subtitles were a BIG help!

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Dan, I loved watching HAMILTON with the subtitles on. The lyrics comes so fast, it’s hard for my ears to keep up with them. My eyes are faster!

      Reply
      1. george Post author

        Rick, I’m sure DISNEY+ will add more content especially since the coronavirus has shut down movie production for months.

  8. Rick Robinson

    I still have not recovered from fools and idiots sparking off THOUSANDS of explosions starting hours before dark and continuing, sometimes making the windows tremble, until well after 1:00am. BAH! BAH! BAH!

    Hopefully, after only a few hours of sleep and a splitting headache, I can have a bite to eat and take an early nap.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Rick, same here. Plenty of fireworks and explosions deep into the night. Fortunately, I’m a sound sleeper so once I turned my CPAP on, I was out like a light!

      Reply
      1. Jeff Meyerson

        The air conditioner in the bedroom muffled the fireworks to such an extent that they didn’t bother me.

  9. George Kelley

    Jeff, most of the street fireworks died out after about 11:30 P.M. A few explosions punctuated the night, but I slept through them. Diane is a more of a light sleeper, though.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to George Kelley Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *