Tonight PBS aired the documentary special featuring years-old clips of creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s writing process; original cast performances; actor excursions to historical monuments and interviews with President Obama, Hamilton biography author Ron Chernow, Questlove, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Steven Sondheim, Nas, Jimmy Fallon, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and more. The documentary was created and produced by Miranda’s college classmate Alex Horwitz who began shooting film before LMM even decided to write a play. Intimate videos of the creative process between Miranda, musical director/composer/conductor extraordinaire Alex Lacamoire and director Tommy Kail give the audience a special perspective on how much time and energy it takes to create a piece of art. The film develops chronologically with clips from Miranda’s first performance of the title song at White House in 2009 and includes special interviews and song performances throughout the length of the play. For those of us who have never and will never witness the beauty and greatness of the original cast’s artwork, this documentary gives exactly what we needed. Watch the full-length film on the Great Performances‘ Facebook page before it’s immortalized on PBS!
