It's been the talk of the press in the States for weeks, and finally last night, Hamilton opened on Broadway to a thunderous response from the critics. It's been huge, but under the whirlwind of Tube strikes and CumberHamlet, you probably haven't heard much about it. Well, here's the gist of it…
Based on a biography of Alexander Hamilton's life, the show is about Hamilton, a Caribbean orphan who works to make his way to New York City in the 18th century. As we follow the story of his life, we meet key figures in American history, including George Washington, who takes a shine to Hamilton. Together, the visionaries come up with the structure of American finance and federalism which still stands to this day.
Across the Atlantic, kids get the history of their country drummed into them almost from conception. Much more so than over here, they know all the ins and outs about how their country came into being. Over here, Britons' knowledge of British history doesn't often get much further than "divorced-beheaded-died, divorced-beheaded-survived". But that doesn't matter- Hamilton isn't about the nitty gritty. The big names all show up- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison- and it's about the very important documents. It's not necessarily a history lesson, but your enjoyment won't be harmed if you're not that in-the-know.
Miranda first performed a selection of the songs for the show when he was invited to perform at The White House, before spending another four years working on it before the first workshop performance. The music is a fusion of rap, R'n'B, jazz, hip-hop, and pop; American rooted music which complements this American-centric story excellently, even if it doesn't seem very Broadway on paper. It works. Well.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
He's already received critical acclaim (and a host of Tony awards and nominations) for Into the Heights which opened on Broadway in 2008. But during his time off, he picked up a book to take on holiday. That book was Alexander Hamilton, the biography by Ron Chernow. That proved to be the catalyst for what might become Miranda's masterpiece. He wrote the book, music, lyric and also stars as the titular character.
Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James in Glee) takes on the role of King George III, and Renée Elise Goldsberry (The Good Wife, Masters of Sex, Law & Order) plays Angelica Schuyler. The rest of the cast have also been hailed as revolutionary. The New York Times wrote "Led by a cast of mostly black and Latino actors, Hamilton has already helped challenge the perception that Broadway's nickname as the Great White Way refers to the color of the actors onstage."
Everyone loves it
The critics are in love with it.
"It is nothing short of a masterpiece, destined to change Broadway forever." – TheaterMania
"[The] universal appeal to crossover audiences is one unmistakable sign of a groundbreaking show." – Variety
Obama had a bonding session with his daughters at the performance, and joined the standing ovation at the end. Maybe he can relate to the narrative more than any other audience member (who were cheering his name and taking photos of him as he walked in with his entourage).
#Ham4Ham
Lotteries are nothing new to theatre, but Hamilton brings a whole new dimension. Winners of the lottery are treated to a special performance every afternoon, which have included Miranda reading the first five paragraphs of the book that shaped the show, or cast members' beautiful rendition of Alicia Keys' Fallin'. It's well worth keeping an eye on the hashtag #Ham4Ham and to see what gem they come up with.
It doesn't look to be transferring anytime soon (though it's so good, it probably and hopefully will), so if you're desperate to go and see it, it's time to look at booking flight and hotels. You'd be looking at early 2016, as almost all performances between now and January have limited availability. If you do want to try and get hold of tickets, click here to visit out American counterpart, TheaterMania.
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Off-West End
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