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In this episode of the Temple of Geek Podcast, we talk about our reactions to the “Hamilton” that premiered on Disney+. If you are joining us for the first time, The Temple of Geek Podcast has been around since 2012 and is hosted by a variety of geeks. Here we cover all manner of geek and pop culture news and events. This episode is hosted by our regular host, Monica, and she is joined by fellow Hamilton enthusiasts Maddie and Alice.
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General Spoiler Warnings Apply
About Hamilton
“Hamilton” is an 11-time-Tony Award®-, GRAMMY Award®-, Olivier Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning stage musical. The musical is based on the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is known for being the author of the Federalist Papers, and the first secretary of the U.S. treasury. “Hamilton” is inspired by the book “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow.
Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre.
Hamilton on Disney+
The filmed version of the original Broadway production of “Hamilton” combines elements of live theater and film in order to bring it to homes around the world. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show. With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail, and produced by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jeffrey Seller, with Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman serving as executive producers. It was brought to homes around the world by the Walt Disney Company and debuted on the Disney Plus Platform.
The cast included Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos and Phillipa Soo.
Our Reactions
“Hamilton” is a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. There is a lot to unpack. And although we make an effort in this episode to dive deep, it feels like we have only scratched the surface of what “Hamilton” means.
Any work of art can be problematic. Especially when it’s art based on our founding fathers. “Hamilton” takes a lot of artistic liberties. As Alice points out in this episode, “Hamilton is more Historical Fan Fiction”.
We believe the show is amazing on many levels however it’s also important to note some of the more critical things being said about the musical. For example, some people suggest that it’s glorifying slave owners or trying to make slave owners likable. Which given the current political climate in which we are seeing colonial-era statues being taken down in protest of what they represent, it can cause conflicting feelings on how the founding fathers are portrayed in this musical.
Another concern people have mentioned about this is that, although the cast is very diverse, they are still essentially telling a white man’s story. We address this and some of the critiques that have arisen up on social media.
And of course, we discuss what our favorite musical numbers, characters, and performers are and why.
About Our Guests
Alice is a fangirl who is passionate about Marvel, Star Wars, DC, and books in general and she is also a contributor to The Sartorial Geek where she discusses Geek fashion. You can find her on Instagram as @akangaru and on Twitter as @kangaru. If you’re a fan of Alice’s insight check her out on our episode where we review the “Birds Of Prey” movie.
Maddie has loved all things sci-fi since she was a kid! Because of this, she began cosplaying in 2014. She is also the Deputy Editor and a lead writer for Temple of Geek. Here she has shared so many of her passions with our audience. You can check out her work here: https://templeofgeek.com/author/maddie/. You can also find her on Instagram @maddie_whovian and Twitter @mad_whovian.
About Our Host:
Monica is the current host of the Temple of Geek Podcast. She is a cosplay photographer and content creator for Temple of Geek. You can check out some of her work here: https://templeofgeek.com/author/monica/
Check out more from Temple of Geek:
Review bombing, Petitions and The Last of Us 2
Unsolved Mysteries for a new generation!
“Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe” on Disney+
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