The Hamilton craze has swept the country over the past year. One may not have thought that the musical about Alexander Hamilton and several of the other founding fathers during the American Revolution would be so popular.

Tickets for the Broadway show Hamilton sell out minutes after they go on sale, so, unfortunately, seeing the show is very difficult. Not to mention, even if someone were able to buy a ticket, the cost is often very high. Until now, the closest most people have been able to get to the show has been listening to the show’s music.

While the music alone is great, it is far from satisfying enough for many fans. Luckily, Hamilton’s America aired last week on PBS and provided the audience with a sneak peek or two of the show itself.

Hamilton’s America is a 90-minute documentary consisting of interviews with cast members, political figures and historians. In addition to the interviews, it includes actual excerpts from the show. The documentary is part history lesson, part rap concert and part Broadway musical.

The documentary is narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who not only wrote the show, but also starred as the original Alexander Hamilton in the musical. As narrator, he shares with the audience what inspired him to write the show and takes the viewers behind the scenes to witness some of the ups and downs he experienced while writing.

Some of the highlights of the documentary are when cast members of the show visit historical sites together that play a role in the Hamilton musical, such as Mount Vernon, Valley Forge and Aaron Burr’s house. In fact, the documentary shows Miranda sitting in Aaron Burr’s bedroom looking for inspiration while in the process of crafting the musical.

The documentary also includes interviews with cast members and prominent figures such as President Obama, Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Ron Chernow, the author of the biography that inspired the musical.

The interviews demonstrate how historically accurate the musical is and how much of a genius Miranda is by making history exciting and easy to understand. Also, Miranda shares with the audience the purpose behind his use of various rap, jazz and Broadway musical styles throughout the musical.

While seeing the historical sites and listening to the interviews are very interesting, the highlight of the documentary is viewing excerpts of the show’s songs from a front-row seat. The viewer is able to see the facial expressions and movements of the actors very close-up.

Even if someone was lucky enough to see the show on Broadway, Hamilton’s America is well worth watching. The documentary takes the viewer on a long journey starting when Miranda conceived the idea for the musical while reading Chernow’s book on the beach to opening night on Broadway.  

Hamilton’s America connects each song to the history of the time and describes what each of the historical figures experienced.  It can still be viewed on demand and will likely be aired periodically over the next few months on PBS.