It's going to help, we promise!
Hamilton: An American Musical officially hits Disney+ on Friday, July 3, which means millions of people who did not manage to get a ticket to a live production of the show will get to see the Broadway hit for the first time. The HamFam is about expand by exponential levels and it's such an exciting thing to happen. Welcome, new Hamilton Trash!
This post is for those people who are excited to see the musical but have avoided listening to any of the songs from the soundtrack. Congratulations if you've made it five years without any spoilers, but we might need to burst your bubble just a little bit: we at TV Guide strongly advise you to fully dive into the songs of Hamilton before watching.
What Time Does Hamilton: An American Musical Release on Disney+?
While we understand the desire to go into the musical without any expectations, that approach may actually hinder the viewing experience. Hamilton is a sung-through musical, which means that the soundtrack is the entire show and all of the plot is moved through the musical numbers. You don't have to see what's on stage or hear any spoken dialogue to fully understand what's happening or get any extra context (Note: There are two scripted moments Lin-Manuel Miranda saved for the live performance and will be in the Disney+ presentation, but they do not shift the plot in any way). Even if you only listened to the soundtrack, you'd be getting the whole plot of the show.
It's a good idea to have an understanding of exactly what this musical is about before you see the show because most of the songs are filled with quick-paced raps. Unless you have an incredible memory of your high school U.S. History class, it's kind of difficult to process rap verses in real-time about why Alexander Hamilton was needed at the Battle of Yorktown or how he sold the U.S. capital to Thomas Jefferson in order to keep control of Wall Street. Knowing the music ahead of time allows you to watch the show without getting lost or confused about the politics of what's going on.
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It's not just about the historical facts either. You can more greatly appreciate the intricate depiction of "rewind, rewind" in "Satisfied" as watch Angelica Schuyler (Renee Elise Goldsberry) relive the greatest regret of her life when you're not trying to comprehend why she introduced Alexander to her sister Eliza (Phillippa Soo) in the first place. The emotional density of "Burn" can fully hit you when you are clear exactly what Alexander did when he wrote the Reynolds Pamphlet.
By listening to the soundtrack ahead of time, you can fully immerse yourself in the experience of the stage musical and we promise you'll have more fun! The full cast recording is available to stream on Spotify andYouTube, and available to purchase where you usually purchase music.
Hamilton: An American Musical premieres Friday, June 3 on Disney+.
FAQs
By listening to the soundtrack ahead of time, you can fully immerse yourself in the experience of the stage musical and we promise you'll have more fun! The full cast recording is available to stream on Spotify and YouTube, and available to purchase where you usually purchase music.
Should you listen to the Hamilton soundtrack before seeing it? ›
Listen to the Hamilton soundtrack.
Listen to the soundtrack with the original cast, so that by the time you actually see the show, you're not trying to figure out the songs. Instead, you're celebrating the music like you're seeing a concert of your favorite artists.
Why is the Hamilton soundtrack so good? ›
The show combines hip-hop, rap, R&B, soul, and traditional show tunes to create its novel score. And Miranda's witty, sophisticated lyrics bring the familiar historical characters to life in a whole new way, drawing the audience in with their humanity and familiarity.
Should you listen to a musical before seeing it? ›
You'll enjoy more shows with this mindset. Rule Two, listen to the entire soundtrack at least three times and read the booklet enclosed in the CD before seeing the show. This is also a great way to decide if you want to see a show.
What to know about Hamilton musical before seeing it? ›
He was inspired by Ron Chernow's biography of the "$10 founding father" Alexander Hamilton. The sung-through musical follows Hamilton from his early life as a poor orphan in the Caribbean, to his ascendency as the right-hand man of George Washington, to his death in an infamous duel with Aaron Burr.
Should I watch Hamilton on Disney plus before seeing it live? ›
So, should you watch Hamilton on Disney+ if you haven't seen it on stage yet? In short, yes — but that shouldn't stop you from also seeing it on stage at the first opportunity do so.
Should you read Hamilton before seeing the play? ›
Bryn You don't need to be a history buff or really need to know anything about Alexander Hamilton before going into this. Pretty much everything you need to know you'll learn during the songs. If you have the ability to watch the musical (you can get to NY/afford tickets) then do that first!
Why does the Hamilton soundtrack sound different? ›
Hamilton on Disney Plus is a composite recording of a couple different performances of the show, some with live audiences and some without. This allows for the show to maintain a distinctly live vibe with applause after every major musical punctuation mark.
What does the musical Hamilton teach us? ›
Often the musical numbers in Hamilton focus on aspects of leadership and career development that Hamilton and his contemporaries were learning or needed to learn. These lessons are applicable to the challenges that faculty members in academic pharmacy face today at different stages of a career.
Did the Hamilton soundtrack win a Grammy? ›
It went on to reach number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Billboard Rap albums chart. The original cast recording won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
So why can't you sing along during the show? Quite simply, it is distracting for both the cast on stage as well as your fellow audience members. Nobody in that audience has more of a right than anybody else to enjoy the show. Whether you paid more than the person sat behind you is irrelevant.
How long is it OK to listen to music? ›
The higher the level of sound and longer the duration, the greater the risk of hearing loss. For example, you can safely listen to a sound level of 80dB for up to 40 hours a week. If the sound level is 90dB, the safe listening time reduces to four hours per week.
Is it OK to listen to music before you go to bed? ›
Playing music before bed may decrease the time it takes to fall asleep and improve sleep quality. Music has been shown to decrease levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. Music triggers the release of dopamine, which can boost good feelings at bedtime and may help manage pain.
Do they ever just talk in Hamilton? ›
Not really. The “dialogue” in the musical is in the songs. One song that really has dialogue is the “hidden” song, that you can only hear if you watched the musical. “Tomorrow There will be more of Us”, where Eliza is reading Alexander the letter written by Lauren's father about John Lauren's death.
Is Hamilton hard to understand? ›
As a non native speaker I had quite some problems understanding what they were saying, but my american friends had the same problem than me. I would recommend to listen to the music before going to the play, so that you are already used to the type of language, because they only sing and never talk.
How to prepare for seeing the play Hamilton? ›
It can be hard to catch every thing that is sung. If you have time, listen to the soundtrack of the musical beforehand. Give yourself plenty of time, because the whole show is 2 hours and 45 minutes long. If that's not feasible, read through the lyrics before you go.
Is Hamilton the musical worth seeing? ›
Hamilton has literally RUINED all other musicals for me. It really is that brilliant. I've seen it twice and want to see it again. There is so much going on with the choreography that you notice something new each time.
Is Hamilton the musical hard to understand? ›
No matter how many times you've heard that this is a masterpiece you don't really comprehend it until you see it in person - high energy from the first song and they maintain the intensity for 2 3/4 hours (with one intermission).
