It begins with one of Macbeth's most famous lines: " Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow/Creeps in this petty pace from day to day." This comes from a soliloquy by Macbeth in Act 5, Scene 5 of the play that finds him in despair after learning of his wife's death. Near the start of Act Two, Hamilton sees Alexander (Lin-Manuel Miranda), Eliza (Phillipa Soo), and Angelica (Renée Elise Goldsberry) sing "Take A Break," during which Alexander sings a verse that both quotes and refers to the Scottish Play. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.īy clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.Related: Hamilton's Secret Character: How Death Appears Throughout The Show This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and Hamilton is available from 3 July on Disney+ “What is a legacy?” says Hamilton, in the heart-stopping last moments, and the film leaves us reflecting on America’s. Best of all is the wit that sits neatly alongside its politics: “Immigrants, we get the job done”, says one character archly, and the audience laughs knowingly. It has political intrigue, personal tragedy, a sex scandal and lightning changes of mood that sweep us along at speed. But more than this, it is the intelligence in the lyrics, and the clever subversions of the “period drama” form that make this such a joyous musical to watch. “It takes on a different meaning when you see black and brown performers telling the origin story of our country,” says Miranda, and he is right in that these performers remind us of the contribution of immigrants like Hamilton to American history. All its radicalism comes wrapped in fantastically infectious songs, stirringly delivered, and the lack of book is no hindrance to the complications in its plot. There are profanities and urban speak, but it never sounds brash or uncouth, and the period costume (breeches for men, Gone With the Wind style dresses for women) has an edge of modernity to it. But it also takes us into tight shots of Angelica as she sings of her secret love for Hamilton, or of King George (Jonathan Groff), the camera so close we can see the spittle of his anger over the loss of his American colony. The film keeps all the energy of the stage, from the large-scale war scenes to the political power battles which are staged as rap battles. Every actor alongside him performs with just as much conviction though some with more swagger: Phillipa Soo is a demure Eliza Hamilton until she breaks out, gloriously, into beat-boxing Daveed Diggs is a funny, scrappy Thomas Jefferson with his edgy raps and his attitude Renée Elise Goldsberry is a heartfelt Angelica Schuyler, with a sensational, and soulful, singing voice to boot. Miranda’s lead performance brims with understated brilliance. There is extraordinary direction – again under Kail – so that the cameras capture the mise en scène of theatre without losing any of the closeup intimacy of film. Even more remarkably, it keeps all the power of a live performance while simultaneously adding a filmic pizzazz including some breathtaking aerial shots.
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