The average American cannot afford to see Hamilton in theaters even if it does not have the original cast, but the average American probably can afford Disney+ or knows someone who can and definitely cannot go anywhere thanks to the global pandemic. I am not a theater geek so when I casually mentioned that I wanted to see it live in theaters, I was nearly laughed out of the room because I did not realize that the cost of the tickets is the equivalent of rent money. I am definitely not about that life, and because I could not see it in its originally intended setting, I avoided the soundtrack, out of context clips or anything that would spoil it. Thanks to Disney+, Americans finally have an opportunity to see a live film recording of the Broadway musical adapted from Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, a biography.

I approached this historical opportunity with an uncharacteristic trepidation that I never approached when watching other filmed Broadway musicals aired on PBS because I was already immersed in the soundtrack, familiar with the story or the cast just by living in Manhattan. Leaving Manhattan means that I am out of touch with theater culture. Before I could just breathe and know by osmosis what was hot, but now I am a Philistine wholly ignorant of anything created subsequent to the nineties. Suppose that I did not like Hamilton? I would be the only person in the world, and I would have to keep it quiet. Better to not see it at all. The only reason that I considered this possibility was because I saw Daveed Diggs in Blindspotting, which I did not like. Diggs was essential to Hamilton, but the association was misplaced. Apples and oranges.

Hamilton lives up to the hype, and it brought the theatrical anticipation and electric excitement at witnessing ordinary human beings create magic on stage without special effects, simply using their imagination and stagecraft. For example, they manage to create the effect of stop action slow motion using choreography and a human sized Lazy Susan, which is then captured for posterity on film. Film influences theater then is captured on film. Isn’t the twenty-first century grand? I just adore a post-modern, meta pastiche reflection of a historical story while acknowledging the stylized construct of narrative as a memorial and the importance of witness and interpretation sung to catchy tunes, don’t you?

I am an American history lover, but you do not have to be to be interested in Hamilton. For a New Yorker, by casting the American founding fathers and mothers as people of color, it partially quiets us to the instinctual, obvious criticisms that I bring to any reading of the past of their original sins. I do not have the word hypocrite constantly echoing in my ears when I hear talk of freedom or other principles. You will briefly forget that to many Black Americans, the expulsion of British rule was a nightmare for racial equality, but if you want to reorient yourself historically, (re)watch The Book of Negroes. It helps me forget and makes them approachable, relatable and organic. It helps me to reflect on the principles without cynicism and appreciate their accomplishments (built on the backs of….nope, not going to do this right now). The delightful, unexpected surprise was that King George was a character, and I found all of his songs instantly memorable and catchy. They sound harmless though the words are psychotic and menacing. His retro musical style in comparison to the overall style of the rest of Hamilton relegates him to a past and nostalgia that is innately harmful to people of color, but without reflection, could be mistaken as comparatively familiar and safe.

I was obsessed with the casting choices. Among the men, only the actors who play the titular character, Aaron Burr and George Washington remain the same whereas in the first act, the other men in the cast play friends then in the second act, they play enemies. It reminded me of the quote, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” For Hamilton, his friends dwindle, and his enemies increase as his fortunes once seemed full of potential began to turn. Because his outlook has changed, so those who populate the stage change. Only Washington and Burr are immutable in his eyes-admired and not trusted respectively.

Please do not hurt me! Do not conflate my observations with accusations. I am certain that if one searched all my reviews, one theme that I am not obsessed with is colorism. I know that it exists, and that I probably benefit from it as a light skinned black woman, but I do not usually think about it. As a child of a biracial relationship, I am pro love is love and could care less who gets married to who just the staying power of the relationship. All the women in the cast were phenomenal, and it is terrific that an Asian woman got a lead role, which she owned. I am not saying that I want black women to have “respectable” roles or fewer roles, but I was struck that the heroes of Hamilton were light skinned. I do not expect that Lin-Manuel Miranda should not cast himself as the lead, and his character was certainly flawed, but when Hamilton’s wife, who in many senses was the only real pure hero of the play is also light-skinned (I had no idea her ethnicity while I was watching it), it was hard to ignore the specter of colorism. The black women were phenomenal, but one is a woman who has an intellectual affair; another is the personification of death and the only one whom I thought was the harmless forgotten sister ends up being the fallen woman, the whore, which good for the actor because otherwise her work would be too brief. Is my analysis over reductive? Yes. I have no idea what I would change for this idea not to occur to me. Should a black woman not get to play a whore because of stereotypes? It is insane to limit an actor’s opportunities because of race. Isn’t it enough of an offset that the affair of the mind also is also the smartest person in the musical who is the only one to escape the gravity of her desires and live up to her principles, which none of the men can boast? Yes. Am I saying that I do not want an Asian woman to play to the wife? No. To be fair, there have been numerous casts since the original so the configuration probably changed and no longer reflected this dynamic. I do not think that there is a right answer. I could be the problem. Am I the only one who noticed it?

It reminded me of Jesus Christ Superstar with Burr as Judas and Hamilton as the Jesus figure destined to die young so the Republic may live. Black men play Burr and Judas, but Okieriete Onadowan plays Hercules Mulligan as a much harder, blacker rapper friend than any of the others. Washington is also light skinned, but so is Diggs who plays an enemy and a friend. It is not a simple equation. Musicals are not my expertise. Films are. I defer to anyone who has seen it more than once, especially in person.

Hamilton was also my first experience watching a movie on a virtual watch party with friends. During a pandemic, it is the only way to watch a movie with friends, and Disney+ had closed captioning so it was not different from how I would normally prefer to watch movies, and it was a great way to appreciate the lyrics as my ears are older, slower and duller than they were when rap was born, and I did not need such crutches. I highly recommend it to anyone, but not for children if you are sensitive to exposing them to sexual content, and it is surprisingly suggestive for a Disney production. There are a couple of curse words, but apparently the number is less than the musical ordinarily has.