What Will's Watching: Hamilton

This is a broadcast version of the theatrical production of Hamilton. That is, they recorded a showing or two and then did a third closed showing with cameras on stage for closeups. Last year we enjoyed a similar production of Newsies. Though we're no fan of rap, and the songs sometimes feel clunky to us, there's no denying the clever lyrics and rhymes of writer, director and star, Lin Manuel Miranda. 3/4

No matter, for the Daily Mail tells us, as expected:

Calls have been made to 'cancel Hamilton' just days after the Broadway musical's streaming debut on Disney+, after a renewed focus on it's lead character, Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The show, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, portrays Hamilton as a 'young, scrappy, and hungry' immigrant and someone who was passionate about the abolition of slavery. However, in light of recent Black Lives Matter protests, the story has now come under greater scrutiny - with some pointing out that Hamilton was a slave trader.