Hamilton is more than a smash hit and a pop culture phenomenon. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop-infused dissection of American history exists on its own cosmic ranking system, somewhere between the big bang and a supernova. Any way you slice it, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is a big deal. And now, it’s about to make our dull AF COVID-19 quarantines feel a little bit brighter.
Today, Disney announced that they have bumped up Hamilton’s Disney+ debut to July 03rd (the 4th of July weekend couldn’t be more on brand). This means that Hamilton-heads and newbies get to experience a filmed version of the live Broadway performance from the comfort of their homes (and preferred streaming devices).
Best of all, this live performance was recorded in The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in 2016 and features the Hamilton cast operating at the height of its star-making powers. Expect to see Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton), Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), and my personal favourite, Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton).
Disney’s Hamilton on Disney+ press release
The Walt Disney Company, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller and Thomas Kail are pleased to announce that Disney+ will fast track the premiere of the filmed version of the original Broadway production of “Hamilton,” bringing the 11-time-Tony Award®-, GRAMMY Award®-, Olivier Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning stage musical to homes around the world on July 3, 2020.
Producers for “Hamilton,” the film of the original Broadway production, include Miranda, Seller, and Kail, who also directs.
The film is a leap forward in the art of “live capture” which transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way. Combining the best elements of live theatre, film, and streaming, the result is a cinematic stage performance that is a wholly new way to experience “Hamilton.”
“No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of ‘Hamilton’—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way. In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,” said Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company. “We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind ‘Hamilton’ to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”
“I’m so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought ‘Hamilton’ to the screen. He’s given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda. “I’m so grateful to Disney and Disney+ for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4th weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down. I’m so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and I’m so glad that we’re able to make it happen, I’m so proud of this show. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, “Hamilton” features Tony Award® winners Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Tony Award nominees Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jonathan Groff as King George; Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton; and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.
The cast also includes Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Hope Easterbrook, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Elizabeth Judd, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Seth Stewart and Ephraim Sykes.
Hamilton is available to stream on Disney+ on July 03rd, 2020.
