Hamilton is now on Disney Plus - Here's how to watch it

Disney Plus has now dropped perhaps its biggest exclusive release since it first launched in November 2019. The filmed stage version of the hit musical Hamilton is now live on the service. To watch Hamilton on Disney Plus, you’ll want to sign up for Disney’s streaming service. You can do that at the link below.

What is Hamilton?

The musical is based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Hamilton, the musical, was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also played the title role when it was first performed. He used non-white actors to portray many of the other historical figures in the musical. The songs were also different than what you might expect from a musical set in the 18th century, with a mix of hip-hop, R&B, and soul themes.

After test performances were made outside of New York City, Hamilton made its official debut in 2015 at the Public Theater. It was an instant critical and sales hit, and quickly transferred to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. In 2016, it received 16 Tony Award nominations and won 11 of them, including Best Musical. It also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Before the COVID-19 outbreak shut down all theater productions, Hamilton was still playing on Broadway, along with a number of official touring companies.

Hamilton on Disney Plus

Two weeks before the original run of Hamilton was completed in June 2016, three performances of the musical were filmed at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Some other footage was shot without an audience. In early 2020, Disney announced it had acquired the rights to the film, with plans to release it to movie theaters in mid-2021. Deadline reported Disney bought the rights to Hamilton for $75 million.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak closed down both movie and stage theaters around the world in mid-March. As a result, Disney decided to go ahead and drop Hamilton on Disney Plus well ahead of schedule, bypassing movie theaters. This gives live theater fans a chance to watch this musical as though they were in the front seats. It also gives Disney a way to boost its original content library, as its many exclusive Disney Plus productions are currently not in production.

Are there any changes in Hamilton on Disney Plus?

The show has been rated PG-13 by the US-based Motion Picture Association of America. If the original production was filmed without any changes, it’s likely that it would get a more mature R rating. That’s due to the fact that the original production uses the F-word three times. That’s two times too many to get a PG-13 rating, so Disney did change the dialogue so that only one use of the F-word is heard on the Disney Plus version. It’s unknown if Disney will release an uncensored version of the stage musical in the future.

Also, the version on the streaming service has a run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. There is a one-minute intermission around the middle of the production,

Alongside the musical, Disney Plus has posted a 34-minute documentary in the Extra section of Hamilton. “The Undefeated Presents: Hamilton In-Depth with Kelley Carter” includes Zoom-based interviews with the cast of the musical as they look back on its production.

Will you be streaming Hamilton on Disney Plus?