Lights flood an aged wooden set. A balcony overlooks a rotating centerpiece, golden lit stairs reach upwards towards the overhang, and a man in a mahogany coat struts out. Pure artwork fills the stage. Sure, I might be a biased critic on the topic of Hamilton, but this movie truly is a surreal experience. This film is the closest you can get to feeling the stunning production live, without some serious travel and expenses. As a long-time fan of the musical, there’s something special about watching the cast rather than just listening to the soundtrack.
On a 20 foot movie screen, in a pitch black room full of high quality speakers, every little detail jumps out. Even compared to the film on Disney Plus, the theater thunders with emotion. The minutia of each background dancer, costume change, and facial expressions glow on a big screen. Especially if you’ve seen some iteration of the show before, you’ll be afforded the leisure to stray away from the main cast and observe the ensemble. Lin Manuel Miranda and the musical’s many collaborators have their full genius on display.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, its writer Miranda describes the production as “a love letter to hip hop”. Hamilton traces the tale of America’s national and financial origins through the young upstart—you guessed it—Alexander Hamilton. Lin explains that “hip-hop’s the language of revolution”, connecting two seemingly unrelated concepts. He uses the first secretary of the treasury as medium for a transformative tale of growth, maturity, and ambition.
One momentous day in 2015, Hamilton opened on Broadway in the Richard Rogers Theater, New York. Years of box-office success have accumulated more than $1 billion dollars in overall gross revenue for the show and its various tours. No one doubts the groundbreaking popularity and visibility of the production. Over the pandemic, Hamilton stayed alive with the release of a 2016 cast recording on Disney Plus, the same version just released in theaters on September 5, of 2025. This newest production serves a commemorative purpose: celebrating a decade of HamilTEN.
A heartwarming cast feature opens the movie, and reflects on their reunion, with more for dedicated supporters in the Big Apple as well. Leslie Odom Jr., the original Broadway cast member for Aaron Burr, reprises his role from September 9 to November 23, 2025. What a lucky time to be alive for fans of the musical.
Be it in a cinema near you or in a cushioned theater seat, you simply must watch Hamilton.
