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.
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.