Hamilton
— It took me a while to get Disney+ to stream on my vintage (2013) Samsung “Smart” TV, but “Hamilton” persuaded me it was worth the effort—and it was. I confess, I haven’t seen the play itself, so the filmed performance was a treat and it’s about as good a filmed performance as you can imagine. Long shots when you need to see the entire stage, but plenty of close-ups to add intimacy to the experience. Alexa had played the original cast recording for me many times so I was familiar with the score and lyrics, but I still found subtitles helpful, particularly for songs more grounded in hip-hop or rap than jazz, rhythm and blues, or traditional Broadway. It’s still innovative and it still feels different and exciting. It still managed and manages to bring Broadway to a larger audience. It still features a multiracial cast whose performances transcend race. And, with the current political backdrop, it’s a good springboard for discussion about our country’s origins and founding fathers, complicity, history and who writes it, and the fluidity of history where some fiction is infused in every telling. I understand how some might want the story to more fully reflect the values we now believe our founding fathers had, but I tend to side with director Ava DuVerney who says “I don’t look to art for my history. I study history." Having been unable to see films in theaters for four months, it was a joy to see something I really liked.
[Disney+ streaming.]
