I’m a huge fan of musicals. From the beautiful voices to the sets to the storylines – it’s all gold. And along came Hamilton.

I have no idea what set me in the wrong direction with this one. Maybe the opening rap song turned me off (no offense to rap music, but for some reason it didn’t sit well with me).

I also saw an interview with Lin Manuel Miranda when the broadway musical was new and he was very off-putting and arrogant. I have no idea what the interview was even about, but I remember thinking that he was annoying. (Sorry Lin! You more than redeemed yourself with Mary Poppins and when you appeared on John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” YouTube show.)

Finally, Hamilton came to Des Moines and EVERYONE (did you see the all caps emphasis I put on everyone?) was talking about it. “It’s so awesome!” “I’m a changed person!” “Best musical I’ve ever seen!”

Clearly THAT person has never seen Barry Manilow’s Copacabana. Clearly.

Whatever the problem I had with Hamilton, I decided to watch it on Disney Plus.

If you’ve been hiding under a rock (aren’t most of us hiding under a rock right now?) then maybe you haven’t heard this bit of good news. Lin Manuel released a “musical-movie” version of the musical (in which he stars as Alexander Hamilton – I’m told people sobbed when they heard about this) on Disney Plus.

Even though I really had no desire to see Hamilton, I decided to watch it. I have Disney Plus and it was free and I had free time so we made it into a family movie night.

So…what did the skeptical Kleckner family think of Hamilton? Glad you asked!

Owen (age 9): I give it a 3/10. It was pretty long and boring. They just sang the whole time and none of the songs were even that good. The only reason I watched it again is because I wanted Ella to see it and then I got bored after two minutes.

Mom note: Did you notice he gave it a 3/10 but actually committed to watching it again with his sister? I’m not sure what kid would spend approximately 5 hrs and 20 minutes watching a show that he didn’t like. Also, this is him dancing on the coffee table while watching it.

Emily (age 12): I give it a 10/10. I liked everything about it but my favorite was the rewind part because it looked hard but cool. I liked that it was both historical and funny. When I grow up I want to be in it and play Angelica. My favorite song is “Satisfied”.

Mom note: Seriously you guys, what she said above does not do it justice. This girl is Hamilton obsessed. She has now watched it three times and memorized the song “Satisfied” and learned the rap in three days. Actually, most of us know the lyrics since she’s been singing it nonstop. Check out this video of her singing it. Be still my heart!!!

Ella (age 14): I give it a 6/10. It had very good songs and I like how it was written. Some parts were too long and you were waiting for something exciting to happen. I didn’t watch it with the rest of my family the first time because I didn’t have very much interest in it.

Mom note: Like Ella said, she didn’t watch it with us the first time. She chose to read upstairs. Although she pretty much heard the entire thing because we had the tv blared and surround sound was pumping. We bribed her to watch it again with us because we told her all of the kids on her show choir team would have watched it and she would feel left out. I’m not sure why I sometimes choose to lie to my kids, but I kind of feel like this one might be legit.

EJ (age nunya business): I give it a 7/10. It was surprisingly fast-paced which I wasn’t expecting in a 2 hour and 40-minute musical. The history was great, the singing was great, and it was historical-nerd funny.

Mom (aka wife) note: I was SHOCKED when EJ said he would watch Hamilton with me. And I think he was SHOCKED by how much he liked it. He even said he’d watch it again. Also, I don’t think “historical-nerd” is an actual term. But you get what he means.

Neko (age HOW DARE YOU ASK A LADY HER AGE! SHAME ON YOU!): No musical has surprised me this much. I’d heard the main song over and over and found it very annoying. Until I saw it. Then the song worked and made sense! I have to admit I didn’t love every song. I don’t plan to download the soundtrack and listen to it on repeat (although Emily has blasted it through the house enough that I feel like I already have). Even though I didn’t love all of the songs, the singing itself was unbelievable. Holy talented cast!!! Holy fast rapping!!!! The range on these people was astounding. I watched it both times with closed captioning on (highly recommend to get the full historical background) and I plan to watch it a third time so I can just enjoy the acting, stage, and sets. Would I pay to see it on Broadway the next time I’m in NYC? Probably not, I’m saving up to watch Hugh Jackman in The Music Man. Because it’s Hugh. Sweet Hugh.

So there you have it! The Kleckner family review of Hamilton. We averaged 5/10 but I would put both Owen and Ella at a 7. It was so good, I’m beyond thrilled that it was released for the world to see.

How about you? Have you seen Hamilton – live or on Disney Plus? What did you think?

Until Next Time,

Neko