As of yesterday, Disney+ subscribers have been able to watch a recording of the Tony award-winning musical Hamilton from the comfort of their homes. The filmed experience is identical to the theatrical one, save for one minor change-up: Disney has chosen to censor the F-bomb, which appears two times during the musical.
Disney had announced that these changes would be made as early as June 22nd and while they don’t alter the experience in any significant way whatsoever, sticklers for authenticity are warning against the dangers of censorship. As far as the creators themselves are concerned, though, they couldn’t give an F-bomb about the whole thing.
“I want to say that only thing that I noticed was maybe an F-bomb or two. Outside of that, it’s the show,” Christopher Jackson, the actor who plays George Washington, told CinemaBlend. “But I think just because of the motion picture guidelines, it’s way more important that people see it. When my kids sing along to the soundtrack they don’t get to say those words. But the first time my daughter did I said ‘Uncle Lin has some explaining to do.'”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the musical and stars as its lead, also commented on the censorship. In a tweet, the artist let his fanbase know he was more than happy to sacrifice a few lines if it meant allowing younger audiences a chance to experience his story. “I literally gave two f**ks so the kids could see it,” he said.
Disney has gone to extremes to create and uphold its brand identity as a provider of family friendly entertainment and although the studio’s made more than one indecent film in the past, that’s now changed. These days, they rarely, if ever, produce content that can be seen as obscene or offensive.
Based on the admittedly long-winded and frankly boringly-written autobiography of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda has adapted the story of America’s least-known but arguably most-important founding father into one of the most original musicals ever made. Bringing to life history with modern dance and music styles, it’s no wonder the production has been such a smash hit. And for that reason, you may wanna make your move and watch Hamilton on Disney+ as soon as you can – censored or not.