BEST SEATS
Hit US musical is moved from stage to screen
WITH tickets going for hundreds of pounds, not many of us were able to watch the lavish West End production of Hamilton.
But now, for the price of a Disney+ subscription, you can settle into a front-row seat at the hottest musical of the century.
Director Thomas Kail captured the original Broadway cast performing the War of Independence musical over three nights before they took their final bows in 2016.
His main aim was to capture the experience of sitting in the priciest seat in New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre.
But he also strives to offer something more cinematic. By throwing in close-up shots when the audience wasn’t present he offers something money previously couldn’t buy – intimate views of the cast’s faces.
On the whole, this makes the drama much more involving than a standard filmed performance, although sometimes its overexpressive cast still seem to be performing to the back row. Still, this is a minor quibble from someone more accustomed to big-screen acting. For fans of musical theatre, this is an absolute must-see.
Actor, composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda leads a seasoned cast telling the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of America.
With virtually no dialogue, Miranda lets his show tunes do the talking, using a fusion of styles including rap, hip hop, R&B, jazz, blues and classic Broadway. The music never stops but there isn’t a single stinker –