"Hamilton" - A Triumphant Second Wave

Disney’s streaming release of the mega hit musical “Hamilton” has solved one of the great cinematic conundrums of the past 60 years. How do you take a beloved and successful Broadway musical and repackage it into a movie that is faithful to the original material?

Here are the biggest potholes that block the success of almost every stage-to-screen attempt.

Lip-syncing: All movie musicals (except for “Les Miz”) have the actors lip sync the lyrics that they (or someone else) recorded in studios months before.  It never sounds believable.

Wrong actors: Since Hollywood craves that big, big hit, producers often hire famous movie stars to play the leads. Often these stars don’t sing well or dance. One reason musicals are so electrifying is that the skills these Broadway actors/singers/dancers display live on the stage is nothing less than jaw dropping. Movie stars can’t come close.

Wrong voice: When the producers select film actors to play the starring roles in a big budget movies, those pretty faces will often be mouthing the songs sung by real singers: Natalie Wood (Maria) from “West Side Story”,  Audrey Hepburn (Eliza) from “My Fair Lady”, Sidney Poitier (Porgy)  from “Porgy and Bess” did not sing their own songs. Other singers were hired to do the heavy lifting and their identities were kept a big secret.

Different Medium: The biggest problem, though, is the medium itself. A hit musical was written explicitly for the stage and everything that happens on that stage is happening live, right in front of you. Transforming that experience into movie is nearly impossible.

The script is re-written, songs are cut or added, and the scene order is often changed. The most outrageous alteration that Hollywood inflicted on a show was the movie “A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum” – the bawdy and funny Sondheim musical of the 60s.  For the movie, ALL of the songs were cut and the film was switched to a play only.

No Audience:  The thrill of sitting in the center of the audience of a big Broadway show is difficult to explain. Especially being a part of a spontaneous ovation that erupts after a thrilling showstopper number. When that moment appears on film, by comparison, the audience remains mute. What a downer! Where’s the excitement?

Director (for the stage and the movie) Thomas Kail made this movie version of “Hamilton” sizzle just like the original stage play. He has kept most everything that makes a Broadway show so great, sacrificing little. The movie, first shown on July 3^rd, is a startling, emotional, and stunning success. 

Kail, along with creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, decided to film the original Broadway cast in a complete performance in front of a live audience just after they swept the Tony Awards, so everyone was still on a high. It was filmed over a period of three days, four years ago.

Through expert editing, camera work and sound, we are treated to a film that is as close to a live Broadway performance as possible. Kail caught lightning in a bottle. The drama is there, the excitement is there and you almost feel like YOU’RE there.

You heard it here: Movie musicals will now change forever.  

In this “Hamilton” we see the real-life intensity of the acting of this high energy show. We see the actors sweat and we see them work at spitting out mouthfuls of words going at breakneck speed, some with spittle dribbling down their chins. We see how much work goes into a great performance.

And we hear the crowd go crazy after many of the songs.

Thousands of fans have seen “Hamilton” in roadshow productions outside of New York and the shows have been quite good.  But the actors in those productions don’t compare to the original Broadway cast.  And this movie proves it.

“Hamilton” made stars of many its original actors – like Leslie Odom, Jr., Phillipa Soo and Renee Elise Goldsberry - and now we get to see the amazing difference between the actors on a national tour and the original Broadway cast.  

Many describe “Hamilton” as a hip-hop show, but I beg to differ.  Although it has some hip-hop songs, there are also many beautifully lyrical numbers, R&B, soul and even love songs.  Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, is steeped in the world of traditional musicals which you can hear throughout “Hamilton”.

The original cast album became a huge hit in its own right, with teenagers committing the entire show to memory.  But, although the music is a joy to listen to, the full production is a remarkable mix of athletic dancing (Andy Blankenbuehler), dramatic lighting, and quick stage movements.

Also, the story itself, of the scrappy, young, founding fathers who struggled to pull away from England to start a new country, is compelling.

Don’t be daunted by the 160 minute run time of the movie, it flies by in a flash.  There is little dialogue, with dozens of songs sung back to back with a strong rhythmic drive throughout.

Although the male characters (all the founding fathers) dominate the narrative, when the Schuyler sisters make their entrance, they erupt on stage. Phillipa Soo, Renee Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones have the personalities, the voices and the dance moves to win over the audience immediately.

Goldsberry, especially, displays a gorgeous singing voice that rivals anyone one on the Broadway stage today. 

Daveed Diggs surprises the audience by first appearing with a full French accent as the character of Marquis De Lafayette.  But later, he is a rather flamboyant Thomas Jefferson. Diggs is a scene stealer in both roles.

Although genius Lin-Manuel Miranda created this masterpiece, he is not the best actor/singer on the stage.  That accolade goes to velvet voiced Leslie Odom, Jr, as Aaron Burr and narrator of the story.  Odom has lots of acting to do and songs to sing.  Each time, he brings rich emotion, beautiful phrasing and high intensity. And the camera close-ups provide us with even more connection to this great performer.

Someone else who takes over the stage each time he appears is Jonathon Groff , killing it as the goofy King George III.  His Beetles-like song (yes, only one) is hugely entertaining and although he doesn’t move much, Groff nevertheless gives it humor, wit, sarcasm and just plain fun.

“Hamilton” has been a cultural and musical phenomenon since it opened in 2015. But this Disney movie, filled with non-stop energy and spectacular performances, will create a second wave of “Hamilton” fever.

The movie is being streamed on Disney Plus.  Depending on the cable provider you use, it may be difficult to access.  Xfinity, for instance, does not have a friendly relationship with Disney.