Premise: A
recording of a performance of the Hamilton musical with the original cast in
2016.
Whenever I talk
about anything with an ardent fan base, I feel unqualified to say anything. I
don't have any deep knowledge of Hamilton. I didn't see it live on
Broadway (I saw a touring production though). I bought the soundtrack after a
lot of the hype had died down. I couldn't name half the cast or tell you any
other productions they've been in. I know the songs. I haven't memorized any of
them. I'm a fan but not a superfan.
At least, in my
head, I think in tiers of liking things. There are things that I just like.
Then there are things that "are mine". Not in an exclusive way. Just
because it's mine doesn't mean it can't be yours. They are things that I have
personal stock in. If someone doesn't like The Leftovers or About
Time, I take it personally, even though I know my identity isn't actually
tied to these things. The stuff I simply like though, I'm not invested in. I
like Star Trek, but if you tell me you don't, my thought is "ok,
cool."
A phenomenon that
gets annoying that I'm really trying to break myself of is when the fanbase of
something is so ardent that I end up on the negative end just because I only
like it. The Office is a great example of this. I like The Office.
I saw every episode. I love the cast and writers. I think it's an important
sitcom of its era. It's nowhere near being one of my favorites though. The cult
of The Office is so passionate that I'll often find myself saying
"It wasn't that good. Are we just going to ignore the second half
of the series that was uneven-to-outright bad?" Even though I have a lot
of fond memories of the show, I'm dealing with such passionate fans that the
balance gets totally thrown off about what it means to be a fan.
So, back to Hamilton.
I'm a fan, not a superfan. I find it easy to write about things I'm a superfan
of because I love gushing about those things. It's also easy for me to write
about things I'm indifferent about (even though it often comes out as more
negative than I intend). It's hard for me to write about things at the Hamilton
tier. Other people will have much better takes. Hell, I'm going to spend most
of this Reaction defining fandom rather than talking about the show. (You
should really be used to that by now though.) Given all these caveat and
qualifiers, here I go.
I think Hamilton
is good.
That's about all
I've got. Sorry. The theatrical production is clearly a well-oiled machine by
the time they do this recording. The film crew does a good job catching the
right angles, knowing when to do close and wide shots, etc. I wouldn't say I
felt like I was in the crowd that night, but I do feel like I watched a
professionally made recording of it.
That cast is as incredible
as I thought they'd be from listening to the soundtrack. It was nice to put a
face to some of the actors. Specifically, Chris Jackson (George Washington) and
Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison) were good to finally see.
Mostly, I liked the normal theater stuff of seeing what everyone brought to
their interpretation of the character. I liked all the laugh lines that the
soundtrack doesn't catch. It was nice to see Jonathan Groff's King George
spitting with rage as he sang. I appreciate how often Lin Manuel Miranda cedes
the spotlight to other characters.
I have the same
issue with this that I do with the show in general. I think it drags at the
end. "Burn" is a showstopper, but the rest of the songs toward the
end are among my least favorites.
Overall though,
this is a thoroughly enjoyable watch. Seeing it live would've of course been
better, but it's nice that we have this as an alternative since we can't
magically make in 2016 again (and be in New York, and have the money to afford
tickets,...)
Verdict: Strongly
Recommend
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