A YouTube comedian has recreated the entire Hamilton soundtrack using the voices of the Muppets, creating an unexpectedly genius musical parody. The musical, written and conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was a smash hit when it debuted on Broadway in 2015. It went on to win 11 Tony Awards in 2016, as well as being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A filmed version of the musical featuring the original cast recently debuted on Disney+, leading to a major increase in subscriptions for the streaming service, further cementing the musical's reputation as one of the most popular ever produced.
Hamilton tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant who went on to become one of the founding fathers of America. It is performed by an all non-white cast (barring the actor who plays King George) and tells the story using a mix of hip-hop, R&B, and some traditional show-tunes. Rick Downes III, a comedian on YouTube, released Act 1 of the soundtrack featuring all the voices of the Muppets in early July and has already got more than a million views.
Now, Downes has completed his masterpiece parody, releasing Act 2 earlier this week. The video once again uses Downes' spot-on impersonations of the voices of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy Bear, and the rest of the Muppets to recreate the smash hit musical's songs. The result is a genius parody, which tweaks the lyrics slightly to reflect the Muppets cast. You can watch both Act 1 and Act 2 below.
Given the success of Act 1, it's no surprise that Act 2 has already racked up over 100,000 views since its debut. Such has been the success of the parody that Downes III even hosted a live Q&A on his channel responding to fan questions about how he pulled off the parody.
The popularity of such a bizarre and unexpected parody proves two things. First, Hamilton is such a good quality musical that even when sung by someone impersonating the Muppets, it is a smash hit. Second, Downes III is a fantastic impressionist, as most of his Muppets voices could be mistaken for the real thing.
The popularity of the parody may be surprising, but it proves that during a global pandemic, people are just looking for good old well-produced entertainment. And with the release of the new show, Muppets Now, on Disney+, perhaps Disney should take a chance and buy Downes' parody, get it animated and stream it on the service. There's no doubt it would be a popular combination of two of their most enduring properties.
Source: Ricky Downes III