A Play on History

"I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect man."

~Alexander Hamilton


With much fanfare, Disney+ began streaming the Broadway smash hit play, Hamilton, on July 3. Now, I had heard so much about this play since it opened five years ago, and none of what I had heard really lit my fire. I knew the play's dialog was delivered in all hip-hop style, probably my least favorite musical genre. In a blatant pander to identity groups, the Hamilton cast is deliberately comprised of minority individuals. I'm certainly fine with minorities--the US was created for everyone of any origin--but this overt effort to portray the Caucasian lead characters as other ethnicities struck me as a painfully self-conscious overreach.

Consequently, I never had much interest in seeing Hamilton. Nevertheless, as a Disney+ subscriber, I could not resist my curiosity to evaluate this supersonic hit that, pre-COVID, had tickets selling in the thousands of dollars. I decided to allow fifteen minutes before switching streams.

I was all in after five minutes. Furthermore, I've watched the entire play twice--the second time with my son, who has never sat through a musical in his life but was completely absorbed by Hamilton. I plan to watch it a third time next weekend. This play is worth suffering pinwheel eyes.

Hamilton is, quite simply, fabulous. The writing is smart, the performances are captivating, the music is outstanding, and the action is non-stop. Some historians may quibble with the finer points, but there is no doubt that Hamilton provides a fascinating rough sketch of the United States' early history in a modern and engaging format. The actors are amazingly talented and infuse their historical characters with a vibrancy and passion that overrides any distraction of race. As Shakespeare wisely said, "the play's the thing"--the story is what counts. Hamilton is a story that our country quite urgently needs to hear right now.

Hamilton may not be perfect, but it's as close to it as a play can get. Treat yourself. Settle down in front of your big screen and make your home the room where it happens.