Here’s why Disney bringing Hamilton to movie theaters is such a huge deal

Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that Disney would be bringing Hamilton to the big screen earlier this week. Here’s why that’s such a huge deal.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most influential theatrical productions of our time. A musical that takes on America’s founding and the story of Alexander Hamilton through hip-hop, rap, and R&B, Hamilton has captured the hearts of many — though not all of them can afford to go see it on Broadway. These fans, left to enjoy the soundtrack on repeat, got some good news this week, though: Disney will be bringing the musical to movie theaters.

Lin-Manuel Miranda made the announcement earlier this week, revealing that fans will soon be able to see a “live-capture” recording of Hamilton courtesy of the House of Mouse. Performances will be by the original Broadway cast, and it will be filmed at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, NY.

Check out the specifics in Miranda’s Tweet below:

The decision to bring Hamilton to movie theaters is a big deal, and not just because it’ll give the production more hype, which it certainly deserves. More importantly, though, it will make the Broadway musical more accessible to those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go see it — and with tickets averaging a few hundred dollars, that’s probably a large amount of people.

It’s this argument that has fueled the notion that Broadway shows should be recorded for public consumption. Unfortunately, we haven’t reached that point yet — but this could very well be a step in the right direction. If Hamilton does well as a movie, it’s possible more Broadway shows will be picked up in this way. And that’s a promising means of making theater more accessible to everyone.

Will you be seeing Hamilton when it arrives in movie theaters in 2021?