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Miranda, Phillipa Soo in “Hamilton”/Disney+(LOS ANGELES) — Hamilton, the critically acclaimed musical that collected a whopping 11 Tony Awards, is available for streaming now on Disney+.  However, not everyone is excited about the news.

Shortly after it was announced the stage production would be added to the streamer’s catalogue, critics hopped on social media claiming the musical, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, glorifies slave owners.

From those intense discussions, the trending #CancelHamilton hashtag was born on Twitter.

While there is no evidence that the Founding Father himself owned slaves, critics say Alexander Hamilton was complicit with the slave trade by befriending slaveowners and even marrying a woman from a slave-owning family, Elizabeth Schuyler.  

Eventually, Miranda weighed in on the discussion about whether or not the musical is problematic.

The 40-year-old joined the debate after Another Round podcast co-host Tracy Clayton defended the production by calling it “a flawed play about flawed people written by an imperfect person.” 

She argued that “hamilton the play and the movie were given to us in two different worlds,” adding that the discussions demonstrate “a clear sign of change.”

Following Clayton’s remarks, Miranda responded to her sentiments but didn’t absolve his musical of all wrongdoings.

“All the criticisms are valid,” The In the Heights creator tweeted on Monday.  “The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical.”

Overall, he made it explicit that he welcomes all forms of debate.  “Did my best,” he concluded. “It’s all fair game.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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