QR Theatre Review: Hamilton
Hamilton: An American Musical, the unlikely musical juggernaut which has dominated Broadway since 2015 and arrived in the West End last November. On paper, a hip-hop musical about the life and times of America’ first treasury secretary seems like an idea that would struggle to get off the ground, but Lin-Manuel Miranda and his team created a show which developed into an unparalleled phenomenon and brought hip hop and rap to the world of stage musicals.
Naturally, the West End production was expected to be a triumph given the unfathomable success of the original Broadway production and it’s numerous other companies across the USA. The question however was would this new production live up to these mammoth expectations and how would this American musical translate to the West End. Hamilton tells the life story of American founding father, Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the Caribbean, following his exploits throughout the American Revolution and his role in the fledgling years of the United States.
The diverse cast is made up of a mixture of experienced and debuting actors. Jamael Westman heads up the cast as the eponymous Treasury Secretary who, despite this being his West End debut, delivers an impressive performance. Westman cuts a confident figure which is imbued with enough of his own personality to make him very endearing. The counter point to Westman’s Hamilton was Sifiso Mazibuko’s Aaron Burr. In Miranda’s story, Burr acts just as much of a protagonist as Hamilton. Both characters have parallel journeys but very different attitudes to life, this in many ways is the core conflict of the show. Hamilton & Burr are two sides of the same coin and as such this performance is just as signifigant. Mazibuko arguably has even bigger shoes to fill given the unparalleled skills and performance of Leslie Odom junior popularised in the original Broadway cast. While Giles Terrera is the primary Burr, Sifiso is hugely impressive. Mazibuko has previously been seen in MoTown: The Musical but this is undoubtedly his biggest west end role to date. Mazibuko delivers a suitably conflicted performance leaving the audience struggling to dislike the sympathetic Burr. Mazibuko provides some of the highlights of the show in the Burr focused numbers “The Room Where it happens” and “Wait for It”. While the powerful performances of Westman and Mazibuko were certainly the focus of the show, that is not to take anything away from the remainder of the stellar cast.
Rachel Ann Go plays Hamilton’s long-suffering wife, Eliza, who delivers an emotive and powerful performance which even turned me around on “Burn”, one of my less favoured songs in the show. Despite Go’s excellent delivery the character still lacks any real urgency throughout the show, although this is more a criticism of the character than the performance. Rachel John plays Eliza’s sister Angelica who allegedly had a particularly close relationship with Hamilton, something Miranda toys with throughout the show. “Satisfied”, Angelica’s main number is a highlight of the soundtrack but truly a sight to behold on stage as it rewinds through the two previous songs to depict her opinions on her sister’s budding romance with the young Hamilton. Marsha Songcome was also fantastic as Hamilton’s mistress, Maria Reynolds, perfectly capturing the tone of a steamy affair in “Say no to this”, while her turn as the third Schuyler sister Peggy in Act 1 was also fun.
Gabriel Mokake took on the role of Washington at this performance. Washington acts as a mentor of sorts to the young, ambitious Hamilton. Mokake commended the stage with every appearance and really brought to life “Right Hand Man”, one of the more action packed songs of the show while also capturing the weariness and contentment of a retiring Washington in “One Last Time”. Tarinn Callender, Waylon Jacobs and Ash Hunter were all excellent. Each playing two very distinct roles from acts one to two. Callender seamlessly jumps from the loud, rambunctious Hercules Mulligan to the sickly James Madison and seems to be having great fun playing both roles. Jacobs and Hunter also similarly transition from the action hero-esque Lafayette and abolitionist, John Laurens, to the scheming Jefferson, to Hamilton’s own son, Philip, seamlessly. Jacobs really shines in the rap, with exchanges used to represent cabinet debates and in his excellent introductory song “What’d I miss”. Hunter is also impressive with one of the show’s most emotional moments resting on his performance.
The stage replicates the abstract backdrop of the Broadway original with the ensemble’s performances being similarly used to craft a scene with the help of the action packed music. The stage itself is framed by a large wooden balcony and features a centre made up of several rotating rings. The balcony is used to create particular scenes but also to evoke the overarching idea that “History has its eyes on you”. The rotating centre is something which is used to great effect and is becoming more prominent throughout stage productions. The rotating floor is used to create the image of a busy street as people rush by or enhance the drama of a face off among other things. It is a small touch which is very versatile and enhances the show in numerous subtle ways. Beyond this, the stage is relatively basic and instead the excellent performances and word play brings the world to life.
This is not to say the show is without criticism, while in the majority of cases the ensembles performances perfectly create a scene, they do struggle at times. Similarly it is strange that a show which has triumphantly announced the arrival of hip hop on the musical stage ends with a fairly normal musical ballad. This is not to say the final number “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who tells your story” is bad, quite the contrary, although it seems a strange finale given how the show strikes out on its own path following very few musical standards.
As a whole, Miranda has crafted a tightly woven story full of small intricate details which play into both the show’s narrative and the larger themes of the tale. These are brought to life on the stage by the West End cast and production team in a way which a cast recording could never compare to. Burr’s advice to “Talk Less, Smile More” encapsulate the core themes of the show. Ambition, legacy and what it means to fight for what you want. Though an American Musical, this is a truly universal story which is a treat for the eyes and the ears. So, to answer my initial questions, Yes, the West End production and its stellar cast has managed to fill those huge shoes left by the Broadway cast and yes, this show easily translates to the West End and captures a non-US audience in the same way. The diverse cast and liberal themes of the Broadway original took on a new life in the political context of the US, time will tell if the UK production will take on the same life beyond the stage.
There are still tickets available but you’ll need to be quick as shows are selling out months in advance. Although you can always enter the daily lottery or await the inevitable extension beyond January 2019 given the gargantuan success of this educational, inspirational and charming production.
5/5 Stars
Hamilton is currently beings staged at the Victoria Palace Theatre through to January 2019
By Sean Hughes