My name is Hamilton... Alexander Hamilton.

It's been 5 1/2 years since Hamilton debuted on Broadway and the world is still agog over it's magnificence. 

It was a happy chance for those of us who haven't seen--or couldn't afford to see--the stage play, now to view it in film format on Disney +  (Disney Plus). It was released just weeks ago, before it's planned release a few year later, as a covid-19 'treat' to take our minds off these really difficult times. Thank you!

The filming was during Hamilton's original run with Lin-Manuel Miranda who conceived and wrote

Lin-Manueal Miranda

the whole thing, and the entire first cast, so what you see is what those paying thousands of dollars a ticket saw... except better. With multiple cameras and sound mics, we saw close-ups and critical dramatic angles that those in the theater couldn't see or hear as well.

But really, the theater has all the personal drama and crowd effect, so maybe it's a draw. Yeah, there is a lot to say about 'in-person' and being a part of theater history. But that doesn't diminish the awe of seeing and appreciating it in any format.

Here is what happened as this play came into being:

The score for the show is all hip-hop, the genre that, like it's second cousin, rap  had found musical footing across the world... except for those "not getting it." (read older or heard of hearing.) Hamilton seemed to change all of that as the lyrics were fresh and historically relevant, just the way we were taught in school, but better.

The way it is performed is upbeat and familiar. The music 'caught on' and was embraced by the young in age and spirit. In fact, those in middle school and older fell in love with it. All of my grandchildren knew every word of every song and they sang them over and over, performed them for friends and family and learned history as it had never been taught before.

The Hamilton cast album quickly sold more than 450,000 copies since its release, more than any other since Jersey Boys years earlier. Those who couldn't or didn't want to listen to hip-hop before Hamilton came to realize what a wonderful genre it was for this show. It raise our spirits. We 'got it!'

Music has always had that power. Before there was the written word, it was music in one form or another that carried tales, legends and history forward. Music has retention in ways words spoken and written do not.

The trick of Hamilton and hip-hop is how rhyming is made to work for any story told. It is not by rhyming 'moon' and 'spoon' or 'love' and 'dove.' That would be far too limiting.

The Wall Street Journal  gave a really interesting and simple rhyming synopsis on Hamilton:

There are perfect end rhymes:   A staple of song and poetry is perfect rhyme. In a perfect rhyme, the vowel sounds and consonant endings of two words are identical, as with the words “squalor” and “scholar” in the opening song.

There are internal rhymes:  The “squalor” and “scholar” rhymes land at the end of lines. But this pair also rhymes with syllables in the middle of lines, such as “impoverished.”

There are imperfect rhymes:  Most of the rhymes in this verse are imperfect—the matching sounds are not identical. For example, “Scotsman” and “dropped in” aren't perfect rhymes, but they partially rhyme because they share similar vowel sounds and consonant endings.

And when hip-hop works best--as in Hamilton--different rhyme schemes, well written phrases with the right emphasis and pacing within the framework of an ingenious scrip make for what works. And my, how it works.

A couple of historical notes:

Remember when Lin-Manuel Miranda tried out his first song for Hamilton in 2009 at the White House for President Obama and family? He tepidly told The President that he was going 'off-script' with a new idea for a play about Hamilton. He received a few polite laughs as if he was kidding, then debuted what was to become the opening number of the play, to the great satisfaction of those present. Six years later, no one was politely laughing because they were too busy applauding.

Hamilton, the play, is a credible historic depiction of actual happenings, however, the real people did not hip-hop and dance like in the play. But the story performed is historically close.

That being said, Thomas Jefferson, who was the primary writer of  The Declaration of Independence, was a slave holder. This was odd in that The Declaration he wrote states "... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights,  that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness... " I guess Jefferson meant eventually.

Jefferson was a masterful writer but his character, according to Smithsonian Magazine, lagged somewhat behind. He did write further, continuing in The Declaration of Independence, "... That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles."

Technically we did that, though we are still far from done in more meaningful ways and must continue the journey to completion. As our Constitution mandates we do! 

Perhaps the best reflective counter-balancing to slave ownership is that Hamilton is the creation of Lin-Manuel Miranda of Puerto Rican descent and mixed parentage, along with the participation of some of his close collaborators. The original cast, though not by intent, is predominately people of diversity in the various roles including Hamilton, Washington and Jefferson himself, reflective of America then and as it always has been, whether acknowledged or not.

Washington was also a slave owner but at his death, he ordered all to be free.

How can I see Hamilton? It is only streaming on Disney + (Disney Plus) and available for about $7.50 (tax included) which is the fee for one month on that premium channel. Your subscription will continue unless you cancel, which you can do without penalty. You will not be able to see it if your first month is a free trial. You have to commit to at least that first month. And who knows, maybe you and your kids will love what is offered. One tip: turn on the captions when watching. It will help catch every word.

It you 'are into it' as so many are, you may want to get the ultimate book on the words and making of the stage show, scene by scene, and so many other photos and insights on the trials and tribulations of the birth of this spectacle, from original thoughts to the final product. It is "Hamilton: The Revolution" written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. I forget the cost but it is worth it if you love this play and want to know more as so many have.

PS: King George III kind of steals the show.