Theatre Thoughts on Hamilton
I have somewhat mixed thoughts on Hamilton.
On the one hand, it's a good musical: the songs and storytelling are well-crafted and written. Miranda crafts a compelling tale spanning close to 100 years from Hamilton's birth in the Caribbean to his wife's death in New York without the musical feeling rushed or filled with holes. The characters are all unique and have their funny moments. Because the musical is sung-through without any non-singing dialogue, it's possible for people who can't afford an $800 ticket to enjoy it. The songs can be very cheesy at times, but it's a good kind of cheesiness that puts a smile on your face (the best example is Hercules Mulligan's random rap in Yorktown).
On the other hand, it is very problematic from a historical perspective. Miranda portrays Alexander Hamilton as a mostly well-meaning but flawed self-made man instead of the elitist, authoritarian snob he was in real life. There is no mention of Hamilton's quelling of the Whiskey Rebellion, how he ruined Maria Reynolds' life without a hint of regret, or the fact that he traded slaves for the Schuyler family and married into a slave-holding family. Honestly, if Miranda wanted to write a play from the POV of a mostly forgotten Founding Father, he should've gone with the much more progressive John Laurens.
Admittedly, this problem is somewhat lessened if you view Hamilton as a PG-13 version of "Schoolhouse Rock" with rapping, and not actual history, which is how Miranda most likely intended and is honestly the best way to watch it. It's a nice popcorn musical, nothing more, nothing less.
Theatre Very Conflicting
"It ain't accurate, but it'll blow your f***ing mind!" This is perhaps the best quote to sum up my thoughts on Hamilton.
It is impossible to ignore that this musical takes liberties with real-world history that are jarring for something that purports to be the life story of a nowadays-overlooked figure who was instrumental in shaping our society. The titular protagonist is made out to be far more progressive than he actually was, shown as a staunch abolitionist and champion of the working class when the real Hamilton was neither (though the parts about his ego and overambitious nature were accurate, at least). George Washington is shown as a Big Good Humble Hero with no mention of his slaveholding or his destruction of Native Americans' land (though admittedly this play is far from the first to make this mistake, nor do I suspect will it be the last). While still portrayed sympathetically, Aaron Burr's positive qualities are sadly ignored in favor of making him an unambitious and unprincipled foil to Hamilton. And Jefferson... really was a hypocrite for owning slaves despite claiming to be a freedom fighter, but he was nowhere near as brash or charismatic in real life as he was here.
I can hardly fault historians for criticizing the play for promoting The Theme Park Version of US history, but those saying it was intended as an uncritical celebration of the racist elite establishment are perhaps overreacting. Despite the discrepancies previously explained, the narrative overall isn't afraid to call out or portray negatively the harmful social mores of the time period or those who partook in it, and Miranda's intention in creating the musical was to give the USA's minorities a way to reclaim patriotism for themselves, to show that one does not have to be a perpetrator or beneficiary of the old status quo to appreciate what America can be (and given the number of bigots pissed off at this musical's existence, I'd say mission accomplished).
All that said, as inaccurate as the play is, it's still very enjoyable as a musical. The songs sound amazing, perfectly performed with catchy melodies and clever lyrics. The acting and choreography are top-notch, and the story is engaging with well-developed characters and very strong emotions. Much as the aforementioned issues bother me, I'd be a fool to deny how well-made it all is on a technical level.
In all, I think the musical can be safely enjoyed if one views it as an attempt at Alternate History rather than a direct retelling of actual events.