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Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton became a pop culture sensation when it arrived on Broadway back in 2015. Since then the cast of leading actors have all become household names in their own right, while the show continues to run on the great white way and through various tours. Now Disney+ subscribers can be in the room where it happens thanks to the Hamilton movie, which is a filmed version of the stage play that was captured back in 2016. And even Miranda himself has moments of surprise when watching the massively popular streaming film.
Hamilton won a whopping 11 Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway, so it's no secret that the show is something special. But its detailed choreography, lighting, and direction have now been immortalized on film thanks to Disney+. While the show packs plenty of surprises including on re-watches, even Lin-Manuel Miranda himself had a similar reaction when watching Hamilton's finished product. As he recently explained on Disney+'s History Has Its Eye On You:
There’s a weird double vision that happens when you watch it, because, you’re watching things you never had the privilege of seeing from your vantage point on stage. But I’m remembering ‘Oh, that’s where I make Renee laugh when she turns left in Wait For It. Oh, that’s the corner where Anthony Ramos drank Tabasco sauce just before going on stage for Helpless and had a bright red face. Thank god he doesn’t have lines in that song. Over there is where I freestyled with Daveed for exactly a half a verse of Room Where it Happens before he goes out on stage’ Because it’s our only moment to connect as friends in Act 2. So I am in awe of the work I couldn’t see from my perspective as Hamilton. But I’m also on this journey of remembering what it felt like inside the storytelling.
Despite writing and starring in Hamilton since its inception, even Lin-Manuel Miranda is discovering new moments while watching the Disney+ version. While the filmed stage performance is also inspiring Miranda to remember certain aspects from playing the show's title character, he's also discovering new moments. After all, the Disney+ version allowed him to see the stage, rather than his first-person view.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's comments come from his appearance on Hamilton: History Has Its Eye On You over on Disney+. The streaming documentary examined the the historical changes and implications of the Pulitzer award-winning musical, with Miranda also peeling back the curtain on Hamilton's development and his experience as an audience member.
Hamilton is available exclusively on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the new streaming service.
Hamilton covers decades of time throughout its runtime, starting with the title character at age 19 and extending 50 years after his eventual death at the hands of Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) It's a dizzying and dense piece, with Lin-Manuel Miranda carrying the show as Alexander himself. And since Miranda was fully immersed into his character while spitting fire as the ten dollar Founding Father, there are plenty of pictures and actor moments in Hamilton that are new to him on Disney+.
This sense of surprise and discovery have also been echoed by Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton co-stars. Like the writer/actor other performers like Christopher Jackson and Renee Elise Goldsberry have expressed being caught off guard and discovering new moments within the show's runtime. After all, each actor is usually focused on their own track, while sitting in the audience (or in this case Disney+) shows the full perspective of Hamilton's staging.
Hamilton is currently streaming on Disney+, while the In the Heights movie is expected to hit theaters on June 18th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
