Unpopular opinion: “1776” is a timeless classic that Americans will watch in a hundred years. “Hamilton” is very much of its time; viewership will decline and in a generation it will be nearly forgotten.
That is not necessarily a criticism of “Hamilton.” It is OK for things to be of their time.
Nor do I intend to cast aspersions on Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is extremely talented, with an original voice, still young and hopefully we’ll have many years for him to produce a masterpiece – assuming he doesn’t get killed in a duel.
Another unpopular opinion: the theatrical cut of “1776” was better than the director’s cut. William Daniels running down the stairs as the overture plays is visually more interesting than the mural. And maybe Jack Warner did cut “Cool Cool Considerate Men” to placate Nixon (or so the internet says) — it was also the right creative call. It’s not a strong scene and “Molasses to Rum to Slaves” has more bite.