Reconfi guring a Megahit
Broadway’s “Hamilton” revamped for the screen, with revolutionary results
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
When theaters went
dark in March due to
the COVID lockdown,
the Broadway community
responded with pluck and
perseverance. Within days, theater
groups began streaming live benefi
t shows, archived classic performances,
Zoom-style readings, and
later, original content. “Let’s Go
On With The Show” has been their
mantra, their rallying cry.
Which is not to say that all offerings
are worth watching. The dizzying
array of options is a mixed
bag, with many endeavors falling
fl at on my fl at screen TV. The boxy
Zoom format is largely ill-suited
to theater, where chemistry between
characters is key. Technical
glitches abound, and actors
are occasionally upstaged by pets
gone rogue. A Zoom-style reading
of Noël Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,”
for example, left me cold. Not even
the venerable Leslie Uggams could
save it.
What’s more, I miss the ineffable
frisson that can only manifest
from seeing live performers giving
their all, in a communal setting.
The fi lmed staging of James Corden’s
breakout Broadway comedy,
“One Man, Two Guvnors,” courtesy
of National Theatre Live, felt oddly
labored within the confi nes of my
quarantine.
Despite all the digital connectivity,
it’s easy to feel, well, disconnected.
So when Disney announced
it was releasing a “live capture”
fi lmed version of “Hamilton,” I was
dubious. Having been blown away
when fi rst seeing the megahit on
Broadway (I eagerly went back a
couple more times), I wondered
how viewing the Pulitzer and Tony
Award-winning musical on a small
screen could possibly hold a candle
to seeing it in the fl esh.
To my surprise, the story of the
rise and demise of the “young,
scrappy, and hungry” American
statesman retains much of its magic
and still packs a wallop. Disney
reportedly paid $75 million for the
Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of “Hamilton,” streaming on DisneyPlus.
rights to stream the movie, which
premiered on its Disney Plus channel
over the July 4th weekend.
One of the many joys of this
“Hamilton” is that it features the
now-iconic original Broadway cast:
the show’s creator Lin-Manuel
Miranda as Alexander Hamilton,
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton,
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr,
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica
Schuyler, Daveed Diggs as Thomas
Jefferson/ Marquis de Lafayette,
and Jonathan Groff as King George
III, among others.
It is unlikely you’ll see this magnifi
cent company intact in any
theater, ever again. Plus, unlike
conventional theatergoing, there’s
no need to worry about the substitution
of a beloved cast member. A
couple of years ago I had splurged
on tickets specifi cally to see Manuel’s
replacement, Javier Muñoz.
But on that night, my Playbill was
stuffed with white slips, as Muñoz
and several other actors were absent.
I was miffed.
The dynamic fi lmed version, a
trenchant blend of theatrical and
cinematic virtuosity, was co-produced
by Miranda and it shows. The
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technical wizardry is astounding,
the high-defi nition picture quality
is fi rst-rate, and the crisp sound is
clearer than in an actual theater.
The supremely gifted Miranda, you
may recall, not only starred in the
title role but also wrote the book,
music, and lyrics.
Director Thomas Kail, who
helmed the original production,
crafted the movie by fi lming multiple
performances at the Richard
Rodgers Theatre in June 2016.
Echoing the innovative double
turntable onstage, the pacing is
extremely fl uid, which amps up
the exhilaration. He’s taken care to
retain elements of live theater, like
audience applause and cheers, and
the triumphant curtain call.
The probing camera (Declan
Quinn is the cinematographer)
captured a variety of angles from
the house, bird’s-eye views of the
entire stage, glimpses from backstage,
and intimate close-ups of
the actors at crucial moments.
Now you can see a teardrop on
Soo’s cheek as Eliza grapples with
Hamilton’s infi delity. Or the spittle
from Groff’s lips as the foppish
King snarls, “You’ll be back.”
STREAMING THEATER
In other words, this gamechanging
“Hamilton” guarantees
you’ll have the best seat(s) in the
house. In a bid for verisimilitude,
Playbill is even offering a downloadable,
printable program that
you can rifl e through during the
performance — without being
shushed.
When it premiered fi ve years
ago, “Hamilton” was revolutionary
in retelling the tangled history of
America’s birth with a blast of contemporary
fl air. The genius score
was a combustive mix of hip-hop,
rap, R&B, pop, and showtunes.
The cast was multicultural, playing
against type — founding fathers
portrayed by men of color!
Women were given a long overdue
spotlight. The bold choreography
and sleeveless costumes of the
chorus members were downright
sexy.
The pop culture phenomenon
won 11 Tony Awards, and watching
it on the small screen only
confi rms the accolades were well
deserved.
Another plus is that the juggernaut
of a show is fi nally accessible
to a wide audience, at a reasonable
price. For theater fans longing
for shows during the coronavirus
pandemic, this “Hamilton” couldn’t
have come at a better time.
As you watch, it’s impossible not
to think about the current events
rocking America and beyond.
Never before has the number “The
World Turned Upside Down” resonated
so acutely.
So if you refused to fork over
hundreds of dollars to see the spectacle
live, now’s your chance. And
while no fi lm can match the thrill
of seeing a live performance in a
theater, this “Hamilton” still delivers
an affecting jolt of theatricality
during this era of protracted isolation.
You may even forget that, for
a couple of precious hours, you are
not literally in “The Room Where It
Happens.”
HAMILTON | Access on Disney-
Plus.com; subscription required |
Two hrs., 40 mins., with a one-min.
intermission
GayCityNews.com | July 16 - July 29, 2020 31
/DISNEYPLUS.COM
/Plus.com
/GayCityNews.com
