A lot of reviews have been made about Hamilton musical, but most of them are positive reviews, and this has gained the musical lots of popularity. “Hamilton”, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda first as a Broadway musical, gained lots of popularity with its unique features, leading to the production of Hamilton as a movie.
A filmed version of Hamilton is currently streaming on Disney+, and it’s no surprise that the film is making lots of waves like the Broadway show. It can be said that the film added to the popularity of the Broadway show. Disney paid around $75 million for the rights to Hamilton.
There shouldn’t be many differences between the Hamilton film and the Broadway show, as the film was also performed on the stage, but there is actually a big difference. It was filmed across three nights at Richard Rogers Theatre, New York City, in 2016, and some of the performances had an audience while some didn’t. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer and composer of Hamilton and also one of the original cast members of Hamilton, played the role of Alexander Hamilton, as did other of the original cast in their various roles. Despite the similarities between the Broadway show and the film, some differences have been noted. To be honest, seeing the performance of Hamilton musical live on Broadway has a different feeling from seeing the film.
For those who would love to see the musical performed live on Broadway, you can get information about Hamilton tickets here.
The Production
The budget for the stage production of Hamilton was at $12.5 million. It is not the highest budget for stage productions, but it is still a significant sum. The staging and design for the film were incredible and outstanding. It was designed to make the viewers feel like they were watching a live performance, but surely, it cannot beat the feeling of watching it live.
In the film, you only see the angles the director wants you to see at a particular time, but when watching the live Broadway show, you will have the advantage of viewing every part of the stage. Surely the experience can never be the same.
We cannot deny that Director Thomas Kail did a great job directing the musical film because he put in a lot of work and thought to the film. Even if the Disney+ streaming musical was performed or acted on a stage, filming a movie for just three days is mostly an unachievable task, and it was achieved. Thanks to the outstanding director, the wonderful and talented cast, and the expert filming crew.
For a story as intricate as Hamilton, one needs to have a clear view of the performance and the feel of it. Some live-wire production scenes were suited for a live audience, with nice effects like a display of lighting and sound to go with the performance. During the “Guns and Ships” or “Yorktown” performance, some of these impressive displays came to light, and it was so amazing watching it live. I felt like I was a part of the story. In an honest view, I doubt that Hamilton on Disney+ can give the viewers such feelings since it is a recorded version.
Having seen the Broadway show Hamilton more than once, I can say that I prefer the live performance to the film.
The Choreography
The choreography was done excellently by the performers in Hamilton on Disney+, but it cannot be compared with watching the actual live performance on Broadway.
The double turntable feature made the choreography so professional, unique and amazing the watch. This feature allows its performers to stand still and rotate around in different directions. The size of the turntable allows a large number of persons to be on it simultaneously, so the stage is often filled with performers. Watching the Hamilton Broadway show, I had the privilege of having a clear and full view of the stage, so I was able to capture everything going on at once.
Hamilton Disney+, on the other hand, doesn’t give a full view of the turntable. The choreography wasn’t fully captured as it should have been. Some of the performances were blocked when the camera was focused on a particular performer. Focusing on a former or focusing on some of the performers means you don’t fully get a sense of what’s going on outside of the central figures of any given song. This can make you easily miss some of the more subtle aspects of Hamilton, like when the stage is packed with performers, then you get to see different parts of the performance at different times instead of seeing it at the same time.
You will hardly miss a part in Hamilton Broadway show unless you were distracted by something. The stage is set in a way that you can have a complete view of everything from any angle.
Hamilton is censored by Disney+.
“Hamilton” musical has no boundaries, and that is part of what makes it unique. From the storyline, Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers, was portrayed as an immigrant. A non-white cast portrayed the other founding founders. Most of the songs on it were rap songs, and lots of uncensored words were also used during the musical on Broadway. Hamilton was parked with lots of controversies, and that is what makes it more entertaining. Removing any of these exciting features from the musical will create a noticeable impact, which happened when Disney+ censored some parts of Hamilton.
Although some swear words were left uncensored, I personally prefer hearing every part; most of the uncensored parts actually added some humour to the musical. Understandably, kids are likely going to watch Hamilton streaming on Disney+ hence the reason for censoring it.
If you have the opportunity to watch the live performance of Hamilton on Broadway, please do so. Trust me when I say you will have a better experience watching live than watching the recorded version.
