Disney has purchased the rights to produce a film version of Lin‑Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton for 75 million dollars. 

Hamilton is a critically acclaimed play that follows the life of Alexander Hamilton. The play received a “one hundred percent” on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, and a ninety-five percent audience score. (The Tomatometer is best described as a way of defining the quality of a production such as a movie or musical.) 

Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019, and it bought the rights to Hamilton this February. However, a question at hand is how Disney’s primary audience will respond to Hamilton. According to Forbes, Disney has spent fifteen billion dollars to draw in their primary audience of children. Given the young age of Disney’s primary audience, Disney may need to censor Hamilton of explicit language.

Miranda, the writer of the film, responded: “I think we’ll figure it out when we get there, but we’re not going to cut any sections of the show.” 

Catie Kaiser, a member of Black Friars Guild, explained how she felt at the thought of censorship in Hamilton. She said, “I feel like they should not censor it down because the story of Hamilton’s life is so intense.” 

Some of the most important ideas in Hamilton include ambition, morale and patriotism. The aspects of Hamilton that make this a good purchase for Disney are the soundtrack and the fact that there is something in it for everyone. According to The Verge, Disney+ bought Hamilton due to their endless hunger for content. If people watch Disney+ for childhood shows, but realize that the shows are not as good as expected, as they might stop watching. 

Although a Hamilton film would provide a way for the production to reach more people, it may not produce the same effect as seeing a live production. According to Kaiser, live theater will always be a separate experience from film due to the atmosphere that theater produces. Live theater provides a special kind of clear and intense, boxed-in world. 

Hamilton can have a profound effect on our modern day world. Some look to Hamilton or words of our “Founding Fathers” at this time of political strife. Mr. Wieckiewicz believes that history and the past have lessons for us to see. Documents our founders wrote can help us through the political strife in our country. While Mr. Wieckiewicz is a fan of Hamilton, he also emphasizes the importance of not only looking to Hamilton in times of political divide. Mr. Wieckiewicz’s favorite aspects of Hamilton include Miranda’s role and the supporting actors who made the show. He believes that Hamilton has something for everyone between the music and its presentation of the life of Alexander Hamilton. 

Ms. Carraher, a theater buff, has seen Hamilton four times. Like Mr. Wieckiewicz, she believes the actors’ passion and pride in Hamilton are essential to the live version. Fortunately, Miranda, the director, has confirmed that all of the original actors will be returning. Ms. Carraher’s favorite part of the experience was seeing Miguel Cervantes. “I absolutely loved seeing Miguel Cervantes,” she said. “I actually saw him perform in a show on Broadway in New York a few years back, so it was such a treat to see him center stage as Alexander Hamilton. He also worked with my father-in-law’s company working to raise epilepsy awareness, which was very important to him and his family.” 

Now, all that’s left to do is wait for this musical to appear on Disney+.