NEW YORK CITY—My family and I stepped inside after watching the fireworks. It was the third of July, the day Hamilton came out on Disney Plus. I sat down next to my brother as my mom turned on the TV. After seeing it live in a theater a couple of years ago, we were very excited to be able to see it again in our homes.
I remembered the amazing performance we saw in the theatre and I hoped that I would see something just as good or even better when I watched the movie. I started to compare the movie to the Broadway performance. There were many differences between the two different experiences.
During the movie version of Hamilton, there were a great variety of camera angles ranging from behind the scenes to a birds eye view. An example of this is when King George sings you’ll be back you are shown an angle that is behind him, showing you the crowd. This was something that was not part of the live performance experience and I really enjoyed it. Another part I loved about the movie was how I was able to experience the original cast. Many people, including me, started listening to the music of Hamilton on the soundtrack featuring the original cast before they saw the performance. It was amazing to pair that music with the original cast in the Disney Plus performance versus watching it with a different cast. The other thing I loved about the movie was the accessibility and the cost. It is amazing to be able to go to a live performance, but on Disney Plus I can watch the movie over and over without having to pay each time. It is also only $4 for the entire Disney Plus experience and hundreds of dollars for a seat at the live performance.
Something that I loved about the live performance is getting to be part of a live audience. You pay to be able to do something that only that special group of people are able to experience. You laugh with everyone else and you feel a part of the show. This was one of my favorite things about the live performance and something that the movie can never recreate.
Both of these two performances had their pros and cons. I hope that I can always continue clapping and laughing along with the lovers of Hamilton no matter where they are.
