It's 2021 and I've NEVER Watched HAMILTON (Pt 1) 

Hi! Thanks for coming along y'all! I appreciate you being here 🥰 The full version of this video will be available on my Patreon, but likely after Christmas! If you'd like to be able to see it when it's ready, check out patreon.com/mathewmckenna 💙

Hamilton fans who’ve already watched the show like 10x watching the distorted video: “Yeah looks about right.”

the pitched audio, makes it seem kids are performing it. love it

I know about the copyright issues, it's a shame. But it is hilarious whenever he compliments "their voices are so good" "those harmonies" and we all just hear alvin and the chipmunks

The fun thing about the king's performance is that he was making eye contact with random members of the audience the whole time, as if he were speaking directly to them; really makes lines like "I will kill your friends and family" hit different X)

Aaron Burr is actually a pretty good person to study about in American History. He always stood away from things that would even cause the smallest issue, while Hamilton ran after those things as if his legacy would depend on it. Aaron Burr constantly stayed out of a lot of what the constitution was building on and a lot of people don’t know that he is one of our founding fathers because he didn’t really do a lot of the big things (compared to the others, I mean.) Hamilton on the other hand did things that would get his name out there so he wouldn’t just be a ‘bastard, orphan, son of a whore’ in America. The reason he wrote so much was because he wanted his name to be in history, knowing the only way we can figure out he existed is through artifacts of writing. Hamilton did drag his wife and kids around a lot (which, yes, they had 7 kids by the time he died so kids..Mhm) but he sent them to their summer home quite often. In the second act, you find out why. Act two of Hamilton is when you get into the more political thing of American History and how Hamilton (and others around him) got their legacy. Be aware that the timeline is a little different than what actually happened and I can talk about that for ages. I studied American History for so long because of this musical and my knowledge about it will always be useful. I love Hamilton because it gives you a modern insight of what it was like back then. Every aspect of this musical can make you understand why it took Lin Manuel nearly 6 years to write it. It’s truly beautiful and one of the best works of modern musicals today :)

Ooh yeah, "Satisfied" hits everybody like a freight train of talent and heartbreak the first time you hear it. Incredible song, and one of the most flawless musical theater performances of all time. :)

Man, I love chipmunk Hamilton 😂. But totally agreed we stan Renee (Angelica). Satisfied has and still is probably my favorite Hamilton song

The reason it sounds different than the studio recordings is because this was a life recording from 2016, musicals live always sounds different (and better in my opinion) when their live

Satisfied's choreography is helpless backwards and then forwards. Its to show the flashback angelica is experiencing but also shows how she takes the letters from elisa, like she wanted to do and take hamilton for herself. It then goes to the same choreography from the other songs until it goes back to helpless. It shows so much heartbreak tbch and I love it so much. There is so much thought in the choreo, movement and the use of the turning stage.. And I could gush for hours about the musical motifs of the characters and how they fit in the songs

I mean, you're apologizing for the high pitch as if I didn't have every song of this musical memorized and playing in my head 24/7

The only cast member that did not have a flub in performance was Renee. The entire cast talks about how incredibly PERFECT she was. Especially in Satisfied. She didn't miss anything in all of her run as Angelica. Renee is inhuman in her perfection.

The details in this musical are amazing, for instance: Lafayette starts in the musical stuttering and having trouble with the English language, and towards the end in guns and ships he is the fastest rapper. I just love that they added that little detail

The studio recording is exactly that; recorded in a studio. They could redo every part until it was perfect, and no one had to dance while singing. The movie is recordings of 3 live performances, so there are slight inconsistencies.

I literally can't stop laughing I love hearing hamilton: the preteen version

If you are wondering why Hamilton didn't appreciate Washington calling him "son". It is because his father left him when he was very young. So having another man call him "son" is kindof triggering for him.

Part of what makes Hamilton so wonderful is the attention to detail. There are layers upon layers upon layers of historical and musical references. Not sure if anyone else mentioned this in the comments, but Lin uses different genres (and decades) of music to represent the personalities and political beliefs of different characters. For example, Hamilton and his friends are young and progressive, so their songs are mostly rap/hip hop. (And each has their own flow, paying homage to different 90s artists.) Because Burr is a little outside of the group, he's more R&B. (Wait for it is meant to sound like it could be an Usher song, and Usher actually covers it on The MixTape.) The Schuyler sisters are meant to sound like Destiny's Child. Since he's older (and the General and 1st Pres), Washington's songs are a mix of speaking/rapping, R&B, and Gospel. King George's song is supposed to sound like "British Invasion" Pop from the 60s. (e.g. Beatles) Since the political views of the Loyalist reading the proclamation (Samuel Seabury) are conservative and "out dated," his song sounds classical - complete with harpsichord!

14:54 "I thought he was gonna die but he didn't" **cries knowing the future**

Your love for Renee Elise Goldsberry is so valid, lol. She's phenomenal.

The pitch shifting makes this sound like hamilton sung by the worlds most talented children

"oh he didn't die, He lives" 🎶Just you wait just you wait 🎶

Random thoughts: -IDK if you've seen Frozen, but Jonathan Groff (King George) is the voice of Kristoff in the movie Frozen. -Part of the reason for the specificly colored costumes is the colorblind casting. Any company in the world can cast any main character as any ethnicity, and you'll be able to find them on stage thanks to their costume design. -The original version of the Schyler Sister's song didn't have so many harmonies and runs; Lin added the badass vocals when he heard what the actresses could do

*"Being a fan of Leslie Odom Jr. and Renée Elise Goldsberry for 22 minutes and 34 seconds" there! fixed the title for you Mathew :)

According to one of the cast members (I don't remember who specifically) the actress who plays Angelica didn't flub a line in Satisfied(and i think all of her other songs) once in the whole time they performed to show she always got the notes and words right

The incredibly talented woman that played Angelica is named Renee Elise Goldsberry, and she actually won a tony for her role in this show, as well as Leslie Odom Jr. who plays Burr

Sad Fact: When Burr says “Those who run their mouths off wind up dead” Johns Laurens is the first to talk (sing) and he is also first to die of the group.

Leslie Odom Jr. the guy that plays Aaron Burr is the reason I was so obsessed with Hamilton and Renee Elise Goldsberry AMAZING

"This guy cannot miss." Well... i mean you're right about that.

"oh he didn't die, i thought he would die" *dies twice*

"how are these guys not rediculously out of breath already" 10 mins into a 2hr40 musical lol?! They are all OUTSTANDING!! Such incredible performers!

If you're listening to Hamilton songs, you HAVE TO listen to Congratulations. It was a deleted song sung by Angelica (the person who sang Satisfied) and I LOVE IT

“I thought he was gonna die, but he didn’t!” Me: *laughs* Oh you don’t know what is to come do you..

How could you skip “Work Work Angelica, Elizaaaaaaaaaaaa and PeGgY” 😂

Renee Elise Goldsberry is so amazingly talented. I'm happy her performance in this play as Angelica has gotten her the recognition she deserves.

seeing him smile through the happiness at the start hurts so bad

Pretty sure they started with "low key" songs for the opening so that people in the audience who aren't used to rap/hip hop can get used to following the songs before they get to My Shot.

Satisfied and Wait For It are my two favourite songs from the whole musical, and your reactions sum it up perfectly. Also: "This guy cannot miss"? Haha, what a fitting comment.

As a law student that had to read some of those essays, I laugh when Burr says “no one will read them”.

random fact that makes me chuckle: the guy who played the king is the same dude who voiced kristoff in frozen edit: and again at 13:11 I CANTTT

Once you’re done you should definitely listen to some of the cut songs/workshop versions. They’re some of my favorites! Congrats - amazing song by angelica, before burn Let it go- shows Eliza’s impact on Hamilton, plus some eliza x Washington singing which is amazing. Pair that song with the workshop version of Schuyler defeated (SD then let it go) And you see just how angry Hamilton was Workshop ver. Adams Administration - yep. Salty Hamilton. Worship ver. hurricane - some real good lines in that one. Not much is different but man Dear Theodosia reprise - sad burr That other version of your obedient servant. Man. That one hits different These are not in order

“Satisfied” is my favourite song in the whole musical, closely followed by “Dear Theodosia”. Just wait for “It’s quiet uptown”. It make me cry every time!

There's SO much going on in this Musical and it's amazing, from the vocals and instrumentals to the choreography. Satisfied is one of the coolest scenes purely due to the fact that it "rewinds" and replays and pauses the scenes from Helpless as she sings it. I also adore the king, who's portraying King George the Third, who is suspected to have had Manic tendencies in his later years and possibly had Bipolar disorder and possibly had bad effects from Arsenic poisoning. He was royally pissed off at the Revolution when it was happening but he did ultimately accept the loss and recognize the new country.

you should watch some starkid musicals, or react to some of their songs theyre really really good

16:55 "I love the deep notes" The notes in question: 📈📈📈🐿️🐿️🐿️

I've been waiting so long for this lmao. Also like no worries about the high pitch and copyright I think most of the people who watched hamilton before memorized the songs one by one in order and the movement. Including me plus I think its funnier. Edit:chipmunk Lafayette my beloved

Hearing "CALL ME SON ONE MORE TIME" distorted sent me

Fun fact - The dream SMP (specifically L’manburg) was somewhat inspired off Hamilton Also I’d love to see your reaction to fnaf the musical made by random encounters it’s really well made and has tons of different content creators like Markiplier, Natewantstobattle and Matpat

"i shouldn't love him so much" it's okay, we all do haha. especially during i know him, adams administration and reynolds pamphlet. jonathan groff is just a king. on and off stage

When even the chipmunk version of Satisfied is THAT good

I really want him to do The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals 😭💖 Update: HE DID IT

Satisfied, wait for it, room where it happens, and non stop are some of my favorite songs from this musical. They’re just top tier

The higher pitch and you knowing what it is meant to sound like makes it seem so cool 😆

"That green coat is all I ever needed in my life." Get used to it because it's not going away

Your reaction to Angelica's parts make me so happy it reminds me so much of the first times I watched this

I appreciate the near-immediate simping for Leslie Odom Jr.'s vocals. Can relate.

You know Hamilton is good when you still get goosebumps with this distortion-

IM SORRY I KNOW ITS PITCHED UP BUT THEY ALL SOUND LIKE THEY INHALED HELIUM AND I COULDNT STOP LAUGHING

Mathew increasingly fangirling over Renee is the single most relatable experience of my life

HE FINALLY DID IT!! HE FINALLY WATCHED HAMILTON!!

You: “It sounds a lot different than the studio version” Me, listening to the distorted audio: omg you’re right- that’s crazyyyy (Sorry, I had to make that joke- I get your reasoning, copyright is annoying)

Honestly, your reaction to the musical is by far the best I've ever seen. You were completely vibing to it, unlike some other people who complain about tone changes throughout it, and say some of the songs are boring without knowing the context. You never fail to make me laugh even in the songs where I normally cry. Your reactions are priceless! ^^

what makes it even better, is that they are all genuinely the nicest people! i've met most of them and they're so humble. :)

Songs might sound diffent because these are the live performances unlike the other ones which are the recording also i love your reactions their so good keep it up =)

I was lucky enough to see this show live. "Satisfied" really felt like the turning point of the show. It was entertaining and exciting until that point but "Satisfied" is where I realized what an emotional impact the show would make and started taking it seriously.

I love the portrayal of the King it's so freaking good and when I watched this movie for the first time I freaked out when I recognized the actor who played the king as Jessie st james from glee and the voice of christoff from frozen and frozen 2 Wait for it is one of my favorite songs from this musical!

18:12 no one talks about the hug between Laurens, Mulligan and Lafayette - it’s the last time the on stage characters see each other because Laurens 😭

"Oh that cool nice character didn't die!" That aged poorly

Satisfied is the most hauntingly beautiful song. It’s my favorite along with Aaron burr’s solos

I don't care if the video is distorted or the voice is pitched differently, I just love Hamilton

the tentation of going on Patreon to see the full thing but.... must...... resist......... also smth so funny about you going "i love this guy's voice" when to us it's just chipmunk number 3 lmaoo but yeah leslie is a gift to this world he's one of my favorites in the cast, if not my number 1. his line delivery is simply perfect. jonathan groff has gotta be my number two. i laughed so hard at you saying you were uncomfortable bc what he does is he keeps choosing random audience members and he likes stares at them unblinkingly for a few seconds before going to the next one to get that uncomfortable feeling even we, the digital audience, can get. imagine being there tho and have him sing while staring at you. also "i thought he was gonna die" "someone's gonna die" "oh i thought someone was gonna die" made me :( strongly. i thought i was already over it but then you left a large part of the scene in and i was gone.

I love how every Hamilton reaction videos say "Oh sht he's back" when King George shows up

* about Burr * "This guy like... can not miss" Viewers that know the musical: o_o'

oh my shoes, mathew, you have no idea how long i've been waiting for this notif

This makes me wanna buy Disney plus just to watch Hamilton again for like the 5th time.

Even if I have to hear the chipmunk voices, it's worth it to get another Ham reaction to watch:) Please post yourself watching Act II asap! I have my notifications turned on.

I got to see Hamilton in LA and that first song gave me chills when I saw it. If u ever get to see it in person let me tell u, u will not regret it. It is awesome.

I’vr watched Hamilton so many times i know whats happening with the higher pitched voices, the gray colors and the blurred screen

They guy who plays Lafayette in the guns and ships song was singing 6.3 words per second 😄 Lafayette is my favorite character

So ready for part 2!

I gotta admit... These songs and all the drama within them just *hit different* when being sung by the munchkin village from Oz / the local elementary kids choir. 😂 It's amazing how Guns and Ships now sounds like a playground squabble, and Angelica, Eliza, and Hamilton sound like they're playing "house" during a family-friend playdate while their mums catch up over tea in the kitchen.

After a while the pitched audio didn't bother me so much so I am sooo happy you reacted to this. It's really something

Would it be weird to ask for you to react to 3 song that got cut from the musical?...Anyway! 'Congradulations' is an Angelica song that 'Burn' took over Speeking of 'Burn' the original, 'First Burn' is a great listen, too and finally 'Ten Things One Thing' it has extra lines for 'The World Was Wide Enough' ....and maybe "Dear Theodosia Reprise' because of personal reasons.

I legit get chills every single time I listen to any song from Hamilton, they did such a good job!

Who knew, Chipmunk Hamilton’s pretty iconic!

You mention the use of talk-singing some instead of just speaking. Between that and the rapping this musical has twice the words of an average musical. Imagine how long it would be or what they’d have to cut if they spoke less rapidly and consistently throughout!

You're really making me wanna rewatch the entire musical, huh?

just found this reaction and your channel. wanted to say right off the bat that I appreciate that you changed the pitch of the songs so you can still include them in your reaction - in a hip hop musical where we care for your reaction to the lyrics more than to the music (or is that just me?), it totally works and I am not mad at all :)

Fun fact: The person who play the king is the same person who voice acts Christoph from Frozen.

If you haven’t yet, I recommend listening to the Newsies musical!! The musical itself is about the Newsboy Strike of 1899, and it’s music is based off of the 1992 movie (i don’t recommend the movie, though) It’s got some very good songs, and Disney+ has a live recording of the broadway musical. The dancing as well is amazing! I highly recommend it!

as a drama kid, obsessed with your reaction videos, seeing you react to hamilton is so entertaining

Please oml I'm gonna cry if you actually react to this Also fun fact! The order Aaron says the Schuyler sisters' names is the order they die in :D

although the video and audio are distorted, it doesn’t matter bc your comments are very interesting and entertaining :) one of my favorite reactions to this musical

When after “The Ten Duel Commandments “ you said, you thought John Laurens was going to die, I just thought like “Just you wait” (seriously. That’s what I thought. And then I realized it was actually a line from the show)

ahh this is so fun i love seeing new hamilton reactions! i appreciate all the work put in to edit it so we're able to see so much of it also satisfied and nonstop are in my top 4 from the musical! the ending of nonstop is a masterpiece edit: wait this was posted on my birthday omg teehee just for me 😂

I remember having the privilege to go in pretty blind when I saw this show live, and I totally had the same impression as you about the king, haha! I remember being so excited about every cutaway that they brought him back on for because his songs were just the perfect mix of funny and genuinely really good.

I just checked the Patreon out and I didn’t know you were doing written reviews over there too! I might have to become a patron now, especially to see this full reaction. Glad you’re enjoying it

13:07 idk why but something about your anticipation and your words, "c'mon give me, hit me" and your satisfaction when it delivered made me burst out laughing LOL.

“I love this guys voice hot damn!” The entire Hamilfan fandom describing Leslie Odam Jr

My highlight of 2021 was Lesie Odom Jr liking a tweet of mine

omg finally /lh /nm seriously though i’ve been memorizing the songs since 2019 and haven’t regretted a moment of it