'Hamilton' on Disney+ offers musical theatre fans the best seat in the house

The Tony Award-winning musical "Hamilton" has five touring companies around the world who have had to stop performing the show due to COVID-19.

Lucky for fans of musical theatre, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his director Thomas Kail had filmed the hip-hop show about the life of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton with the original cast back in 2016. Now, it's headed to Disney+.

"The ability to sort of provide this love letter to theatre -- at a time when we can't go to the theatre -- feels appropriate and we feel really lucky that we're able to provide it," said Miranda.

Kail wasn't exactly sure what they would eventually do with the footage. The cast and crew shot for three days, in what the director calls a pure leap of faith.

"The cast was phenomenal as always," Kail said. "They were so focused and so ready and my job was to try to honor that performance they were giving every night."

Different from many movie musicals where the cast re-creates the performance for television, "Hamilton" the film is a depiction of the original Broadway production, straight from the Richard Rodgers Theatre. They shot the entire show, from the beginning all the way through the curtain call.

"It really does create an immersive experience," said original cast member Okieriete Onaodowan, who plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. "It's the best seat in the house."

See also: Everything to know about 'Hamilton' on Disney Plus

"I'm really grateful that we can give it to the world in this way," said Miranda.

"Hamilton" begins streaming exclusively on Disney+ on July 3.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of this station.