Hamilton

(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from Hamilton)

Doug (vo): Yep, I'm one of those idiots who didn't see Hamilton onstage when I had the chance. You might be wondering, how is that possible? It started in Chicago, it ran forever in Chicago, and everyone in Chicago has seen it, except me, of course. Well, I heard snippets of it here and there, and saw some recordings, you know, once in a while, just post on the news or whatever, and my thought was, yeah, I know this is great, but I'm sure most of it's just in the music and the lyrics and how fast it is and clever it is, so I figured, wait for something like this on Disney+. There's not gonna be any crazy set work or amazing choreography, and...uh, yeah, yeah, I was wrong. Definitely wrong on that. The Disney+ streaming of Hamilton very clearly shows that there's a lot of great dancing, and there's some amazing set work, and I'm a dumbass for not seeing it when I should've. With that said, what are my thoughts about Hamilton after finally watching it? It's okay. (Beat) Oh, who am I kidding? It's really, really friggin' good. Pretty much everything you've heard about it is true. The writing is amazing, the songs are awesome, the choreography, so friggin' cool, the style unique, the acting fantastic. It's like the style and comedy of Epic Rap Battles meets the drama and poignancy of Jesus Christ Superstar. It's everything you've heard it was. So, what exactly can I add to it? Well, a couple things if you're a newcomer, I guess. I saw a lot of videos after this streamed of people saying, "Yes, I was the one who didn't see Hamilton", like...well, I just started off this video. So I think it's very clear there are a lot of people who have not seen the show. And as a newbie, I think there are some different points of views I can offer.

Review

Doug (vo): First off, when it starts, don't think this is what the entire show is gonna be like. The opening is very slow, very simple, I dare even say, some of the actors singing are not singing the way they're comfortable singing. If I didn't see other snippets from the show, I'd shrug and be like, "What is everybody talking about?" But that's the thing. When you pay for a ticket to see it on the stage, you're stuck, so the show kind of tricks you. It makes you think this is gonna be just another average show with slower songs, and, boom! Suddenly, it explodes with life, and everybody is talking a million words a minute. So if you put on the first minute and say this isn't for me, wait for it.

(Clips focusing on the dancing choreography and the stage settings are shown)

Doug (vo): Second, having not seen this show onstage, I can still tell the dancing would be a lot better live. Now, don't get me wrong. The dancing looks amazing. I especially love the spinning stage, and different parts of it turn at different speeds, some are still, some move, and the way they utilize that is spectacular. But it is filmed, and you have to edit when you film, and you have to get close-ups and far-off shots and tight shots and wide angles, above shots, and that's just not what it was made for. Again, it looks great, but after a while, I started to look at the dancers in the background and I was saying to myself, "I don't think those moves were meant for that angle." There's plenty of times where they shoot it great, but I just know it'd look a lot better onstage.

(Clips and images focusing on the show's acting performances are shown)

Doug (vo): The cast? (Scoffs) I don't even have the words, man. Everybody is perfect. Usually, when I see a show, there's a couple people or, at least, one person where I'm like, "All right, they were a little off or weren't quite in the groove, but everyone else was good." No, everyone here is phenomenal. I don't even think it's a matter of pointing out which ones are better, 'cause they're all the height of their game. All you can do is point out your personal favorites. Mine, personally, was the guy who played Washington. Yeah, I know, the guys who play Aaron Burr or Jefferson or, of course, Hamilton usually get all the credit, but I don't know. Something about the way this guy played it, he just always looked pained, like every choice he made, he knew was going to have dire consequences, even if it was the right choice. King George, of course, gets a lot of laughs.

(Footage and images focusing on the show's second half are shown)

Doug (vo): But as you'd imagine, when it gets serious, it gets really serious, especially in the second half. Most people usually like one half of a Broadway show more than the other. They usually like the first half, which has a lot of energy and sucking people in, or they like the second half, where things slowed down and there's a little bit more character. This one does the same thing, but they're both equally good. I was kind of afraid when things slowed down that it wasn't gonna have the same energy as before, but, again, with such an amazing cast handling this, you hang on their every word. I know a little bit of history, at least enough to know what happens to Alexander Hamilton, and...no. I swear I didn't learn that from the "Got Milk?" commercial. I read a history book, really, no, honestly. You know, fuck off. Yet, every scene that happens, despite them foreshadowing the hell out of it, still comes at you like, well, a bullet. The emotional moments hit so hard, and I could actually feel my heart beating when they cut the music in one of the final songs. They really did an amazing job showing this life or death experience that, well, it's leaning a lot more towards death. It's chilling, it's heartbreaking. A lot of stage shows have taken one moment and dragged it out, one second, and they play a whole song through it. But something about this one really, really got to me.

(Various clips resume showing)

Doug (vo): So, with all that, is there anything I don't like? Um...the intermission seemed pointless. I guess, at first, I was put off that they still had the audience there, but then the more I thought about it, the audience does kind of play a big part in the show. There are scenes that are very similar to a rap battle, and I love hearing the crowd get into it. They applaud or go, "Oh!" And, yeah, I think that actually does add a lot.

Final thought

Doug (vo): What can I say? It's great. It's everything everybody has been saying about it and more. If you haven't checked it out, even if you're not a Broadway or musical person, it's still so impressive to check out. Like me now, you have no excuse not to watch it, so click on in, take a look, and don't miss your shot.

(The final moments of the "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)" sequence is shown)