We no longer have to wait for it: the day Hamilton arrives on Disney+ has finally come.
After a surprising announcement in February that fans would be getting the elusive filmed version of the original Broadway cast performing the record-breaking musical, the theater gods had mercy on our quarantine-plagued lives and made Disney+ push the release date forward, from October 2021 to July 3, 2020.
What began as an experiment (and one song) at the White House Evening of Poetry in 2009 became a world-wide phenomenon in 2015. Creator, writer and star of the play, Lin-Manuel Miranda, managed not only to bring the story about one of the least-known Founding Fathers alive, but he also managed to draw in people who could usually not be convinced to listen to an Original Broadway Cast Recording, simply because it was so catchy. The music was one thing. The cast was the other. Choosing only one white actor for a show was a bold move, and it made the message (which is still so important today) of the show so much stronger.
The recording available on Disney+ today shows the entire original cast, including now-superstars like Jonathan Groff (star of Mindhunter), Daveed Diggs (currently starring in Snowpiercer), Christopher Jackson (recently starred in When They See Us), and many more. This is for every old fan who never even dreamed of seeing the original cast perform and every new fan alike. Hamilton is a joy, a history lesson, and a fascinating study in marrying modern and traditional music. Streaming now on Disney+ wherever available.