Hamilton (streaming)

I've been familiar with Hamilton's score for some time but watching it brings home how much of a stunner it is; it bridges worlds, combining traditional and contemporary musical performance and expression to serve a story that is both conventional (boy overcomes odds to attain what he wants and nearly loses what he needs) and strikingly modern, while also being both historical and revisionist. The machinery of the production -- all of that wordplay and bodies in motion -- is nearly overwhelming. It is a singularly brilliant vision, a fully realized social and political statement with towering musicality AND street cred.

The Hamilton original Broadway cast recording has been out for nearly five years. It has sold more than 6 million copies and is the best-selling cast recording ever. Those five years have given aspirers plenty of time to load their covers of favorite numbers onto YouTube. I've watched my share. Some are valiant attempts. Others are just plain awful. Some are those inexplicably popular Reacts videos (people taping themselves responding to performances) and then there are the occasional legitimate renditions by someone with skills.

I would wager no number from the show is more popular than "You'll Be Back," King George's mincing scolding of the ungrateful colonists as performed by Pennsylvania native Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter). Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose net worth is estimated at between $40 and $50 million thanks to Hamilton, has said the addition of King George's character was fairly late in the musical's creation. And his winning line? That was offered by actor Hugh Laurie (House), who when Miranda described the scene he was imagining sneered in King George's voice "You'll be back." Score!

The show's theatrical complexity becomes clearer on repeated viewings. And, for me, that means gathering more evidence of Lin-Manuel Miranda's generosity as the composer. He has written so many wonderful songs for the large cast. Several of them are true, Broadway-caliber vocal workouts no doubt written to silence those tempted to set the show aside as a lightweight, hip-hop experiment. Miranda really lets these talented players shine. Two of the best examples from Act 1 run nearly back-to-back -- Angelica Schuyler's "Satisfied"(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InupuylYdcY) and Aaron Burr's "Wait For It" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulsLI029rH0). Both are masterful, challenging numbers, melodic lines overflowing with narrative content and character revelation. Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Burr) won Tonys for their work, as did Daveed Diggs for the dual roles of Lafayette and Jefferson.