Hamilton on Disney Plus – how to watch and all your questions answered
As we've been reporting with frequency, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical Hamilton is coming to Disney Plus in countries including the UK. We've noticed a lot of questions — many of which were the same — popping up on our social media. So here is a handy-dandy guide to answer as many of them as we can.
Want to watch Hamilton right now? Click here to subscribe to Disney Plus.
1. What is Hamilton?
Where have you been for the last five years? Hamilton is a musical with book, lyrics, and score by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It is based on Ron Chernow's 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton, and explores the life of this American Founding Father, creator of the country's financial system and the first Secretary of the Treasury. The musical premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in February 2015 before moving to Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre that summer. Recipient of 11 Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and a Grammy, Hamilton is staged by Miranda's longtime collaborators Thomas Kail (direction), Andy Blankenbuehler (choreography), and Alex Lacamoire (musical direction and orchestrations).
2. Where can I watch Hamilton online?
Only on the Disney Plus streaming service. Subscribe to Disney Plus here.
3. What does Disney Plus cost?
There are several different price points, and there's no longer a free trial. It costs £5.99 a month to subscribe, or £59.99 for the full year. Click here to subscribe.
4. Is Hamilton a movie?
Yes and no. Though Hamilton was originally slated for a cinema release, what will be seen on Disney Plus is a taped edition of the Broadway production at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
5. When is Hamilton available?
Friday, 3 July. 8am BST / 3am ET/12am PT.
6. Will Hamilton ever disappear into the Disney Vault?
If it does, it won't be soon. Miranda has assured his fans that it will be available to watch, "As many times as you like, right next to A Goofy Movie and Talespin and An Extremely Goofy Movie."
7. Who is starring in Hamilton?
The production was filmed in June 2016 with the full original principal company. That includes Miranda as Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr as Aaron Burr, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.
The ensemble is made up of mostly original cast members, and a few replacements. That full list includes Carleigh Bettiol, Ariana DeBose, Hope Easterbrook, Sydney James Harcourt, Sasha Hutchings, Thayne Jasperson, Elizabeth Judd, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Seth Stewart and Ephraim Sykes.
8. Is it the full show?
Yes. The film's running time is, like the stage production, two hours and 40 minutes. There is a one-minute intermission between the first and second act.
9. What about the occasional swear word?
Miranda has conceded to remove two of the three f-bombs in the show in order to earn the PG-13 rating, "so the kids could see it." The altered swears are in the songs "Yorktown" and "Washington on Your Side," he wrote on twitter.
10. Will it be available with subtitles in other languages?
Eventually. "Since we moved the release up by a year and a half, we'll be adding alternate language subtitles as we get them (I'm so sorry for all the words, feverishly working translators, there are so many and that's on me)," Miranda tweeted.
11. What else can I get for my $6.99 a month?
What can't you get? Pretty much every Disney animated movie ever made, the entire Star Wars saga, all of the Marvel movies, the entirety of The Simpsons, and tons of National Geographic specials. Here's a short list of the theater-oriented content that's available.
12. How do I subscribe to Disney Plus?
Subscribe to Disney Plus here.
13. How do I see some of WhatsOnStage's other Hamilton content?
We've got photos, interviews, videos, and much much more. Click here.
14. What if I want to watch the show live?
The production is aiming to be back onstage in the West End in 2021 at the Victoria Palace Theatre – so you can actually be in the room where it happens.
Watch a 50-second preview of Hamilton below:
