There's a universal message in "Hamilton" that even non-Americans like us found the whole experience moving and emotional in a very primal sense. It's not only that the songs, production, performances, and direction of this adaptation was masterful but the very essence of "Hamilton" beckons us to reflect upon the realities of being a human and how we live it in any point in history.
We look into the life and career of Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda), an orphaned immigrant from the Caribbean islands. From Hamilton's arrival in New York City in 1776, becoming the right hand man of General George Washington (Christopher Jackson) during the American Revolution, his work as the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, his affairs, the death of his son Philip, and his own death in a duel with one of his first friends in America, Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.).
We came into "Hamilton" without any knowledge on the source material. We have never seen or never heard any of its songs or performances and we actually didn't even know much about Alexander Hamilton himself. The first thing that really struck us was its modern approach on its songs (well, not so modern to what's popular nowadays) and the mix of pop, R&B, rap with the 18th century setting was both amusing and amazing at the same time. It definitely gave the whole experience a jolt and there was never dull or boring moment even at almost three hours long. But much more than the excellent songs were the performances from the cast and direction by Thomas Kail. The way the camera moved and swooped in were timed perfectly to bring so much more emotions into a particular performance or scene. As for the cast, it would be futile to choose one that stood out as most if not all had stellar performances in this rendition. We're really hard-pressed to find any problems in this live recording or subject matter. Some may find the embellishments a little too positive but we think it had the perfect balance of truth, reality, and flourish to make its messaging stick. "Hamilton" is a stand out experience nonetheless even for non-American audiences. It's not only a showcase of talents but a showcase of what we humans can achieve.
Rating: 5 reels
Why you should watch it:
- the songs and performances were magical and the direction in this live recording was able to capture that magic
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we're hard-pressed to find any issues in "Hamilton"
Why you should watch it:
- the songs and performances were magical and the direction in this live recording was able to capture that magic
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we're hard-pressed to find any issues in "Hamilton"
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