A Good Time With The Cast of Hamilton!

By Anthony Pierre

Many people seem to think that the "Hamilton!" stage musical film on Disney+ was recently filmed. It's not! The truth is that the film is a mix of different performances of the original cast back in 2016. It was the height of the musical's popularity then, the time where it was virtually impossible to get a ticket. However, I was lucky enough to have seen it live myself! 

Not to rain on anyone's parade or anything, but I just have to say, actually watching the live performance is something else. Mind you, streaming the film on Disney+ did bring back a lot of great memories. Especially the time when the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. performed their asses off on stage. Their energy, chemistry, and charisma were electrifying! And, of course, the time when we could actually sit in a theater and watch a musical live and in-person. That's something I missed too! 

Admittedly, what I missed most about watching a live musical in an actual theater was going to the stage door and seeing the stars themselves. I did it with the Hamilton cast a few times and those moments are still etched into my memory to this very day. I also did it so often that it came to a point that the cast knew who I was! Or at least, knew what I looked like. Eventually, that came in handy when I wanted them to sign the posters for the new "Hamilton!" stage musical film on Disney+!

When I finally received a few copies of the poster from my friend who worked in Disney, I knew I wanted the original cast to sign them. But how was I going to do that when they're off doing different things in different places? And especially at this time of the Covid-19 pandemic where we're encouraged not to go out of our homes? The answer, I eventually found out, was through reaching out online. 

I didn't care if I seemed like a stalker, I reached out to most of the original cast members on social media, asking them if it was alright if I could mail my posters to them and they'd sign them for me. I first asked the big man himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and you know what happened? He said yes! That's right, the guy is that nice and accommodating to his fans! Oh, and remember when I mentioned that their recognizing my face back in 2016 came in handy? Well, Miranda actually remembered me from that time! Can you believe it!? What a guy!

Thanks to the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda signed my posters, it became easier for me to ask the other cast members. The process was simple: ask them online, send the posters through the mail, and wait for them to be sent back. This went on for most of 2020, helping me forget about what was going on in the outside world. Before I knew it, the posters had every single one of their autographs. They were even kind enough to always sign in the exact same place with each and every poster. 

I'm glad that "Hamilton!" is now on Disney+! Thanks to such a platform, the iconic performance of this legendary cast—who are all incredibly nice people too!—will never be forgotten! I know I'll never forget them too!