Hamilton (2020)

  Happy 4th of July, everybody.  America is kind of a shitshow right now, so why not escape into a fantasy of competent governance and people who take responsibility for their actions, accompanied by a bouncy, fun soundtrack!

Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) comes to the fledgling American colonies from the Caribbean as a young man desperate to make a name for himself.  He throws himself into the revolution, winning as many friends as he alienates, scores a coveted position with General Washington (Christopher Jackson) as aide-de-camp, and marries the second daughter of the rich Schuyler family of New York.  But his abrasive personality hinders his post-war efforts at creating a unified American government, with Senator Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.) leading the efforts to discredit him.

As I was watching it, I kept thinking how it would make a good double feature with Rush, believe it or not.  Both films feature two men, one charismatic, one patient, and how their constant rivalry pushed both to greater lengths until they ended tragically.  Burr is a very sympathetic villain here, not unlike Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, if you want to keep it in the musical realm.

I didn't get to see this on Broadway.  Most people didn't.  A production with the original cast was filmed and has now been released to Disney+.  Frankly, I would love it if all Broadway shows followed this path.  It's hard as hell to get to a live theater, especially for the big names.

I think Miranda is a better writer than an actor.  His shortcomings on-screen are more than balanced by how incredibly talented Odom, Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Jonathan Groff are.