Hamilton on screen: “Providential and timely”

The hit musical Hamilton promotes inclusivity, democracy, and the power of youth to change the world. But to get tickets to its original Broadway run in 2015, you had to have money and connections—or divine intervention. The hip-hop musical about Founding Father Alexander Hamilton sold out New York’s Richard Rodgers Theater just about every night its first year, and the cost of a seat on the secondary market averaged $350, according to Forbes. But now, thanks to Disney+, anyone with a device that has an internet connection can get an inexpensive front-row seat to see Hamilton. A performance featuring much of the show’s original Broadway cast debuted on the streaming platform on Friday.

“For something that has been such an exclusive and elite experience to be democratized on a platform that’s only $6.99 a month, I think there’s something really amazing about that,” said Austin Smith, a member of the show’s original Broadway cast who spent about a year in Hamilton as an ensemble member and understudy for the major roles of Aaron Burr and George Washington. Smith witnessed first-hand how Hamilton inspired and challenged its audiences with a message just as relevant today as it was at the birth of the nation.

The production drew its popularity not just from the story but also the way it told it. Latino, African American, Asian American, and other ethnic minority actors played every role in the show except the villain, King George III.

“The cultural conversation that surrounded the show was important in terms of representation for people who look like me, who are told there are only certain types of roles you should play … and you shouldn’t want more than that,” said Smith, who is African American. “There are going to be kids all over the country who look like me and look like my castmates who will see themselves in a way that maybe they haven’t before, and I think that’s important.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the original Broadway show, based the musical on a biography of Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Miranda’s adaptation does not gloss over the flaws of the Founding Fathers, including Hamilton’s infidelity, Burr’s egotism, or Thomas Jefferson’s defense of slavery. He makes it clear that each of them could have achieved much more had they not succumbed to the temptation of sin along the way. Yet Hamilton stays unashamedly patriotic, celebrating the strengths of the U.S. political system despite the flaws of the people who built it.

It does that by emphasizing the creativity that followed the United States’ overthrow of British Colonial rule. While the first act gives summaries and recaps of important Revolutionary War battles, the second act spends entire musical numbers on single Cabinet meetings at which Hamilton, Jefferson, and James Madison debated things like the central banking system or the best response to the French Revolution.

Smith is the son of a Baptist minister in Chicago and the grandson of a civil rights pioneer, J.C. Smith, an activist in the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott of 1955. He called Hamilton’s release in the middle of nationwide revolts against police and white supremacy a “providential, timely coincidence,” saying he thought it could “offer some sense of hope, as well, that revolution is fruitful, and the status quo is not always great for everybody.”

Hamilton is rated PG-13 for language and sexual references. Its dancing, while not as explicit as most hip-hop music videos, is more suggestive than the average Disney show. As a cast member, Smith’s advice to viewers was to watch it more than once—something the musical’s patrons on Broadway couldn’t easily do but, thanks to streaming and the internet, fans at home can.

Socially convenient justice

The NBA has decided that when games resume at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., later this month, it will allow players to promote social justice during the game—sort of.

Under an agreement between the players’ union and the league, social messages from an approved list can appear on jerseys in place of players’ names.

ESPN on Friday gained access to a list of the approved slogans: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can), Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am a Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform, and Mentor.

The list doesn’t contain any references to Hong Kong, the focus of a protest movement within the NBA last year. In October 2019, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey set off a firestorm when he offered support for pro-democracy protesters in the territory controlled by the Chinese government by tweeting: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” The league’s Chinese sponsors cut ties, and Chinese state-run TV stopped airing games. China accounted for at least 10 percent of the NBA’s revenue, CNN reported. League Commissioner Adam Silver and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James attempted to distance the league from Morey’s comment, and Morey deleted the tweet and apologized.

Historically, the NBA has avoided controversy. In 2014, Silver complained about players wearing “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts during pregame warmups to protest the death of Eric Garner in New York City when a police officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest. The league still requires players to stand for the national anthem, though that might change soon.

Last week in Hong Kong, however, the Chinese government enacted stricter laws against pro-democracy protesters, furthering brutality and oppression against those who criticize communism and promote freedom. But the NBA and other major corporations continue to play it safe, unwilling to risk profits in China. —Collin Garbarino

Entertainment notes