Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, Personal)

 🌟 Hamilton 🌟

08 June 2023 at 2:30pm at Victoria Palace Theatre, London

★★★★

The musical sensation Hamilton has really dominated the musical theatre scene since its original premiere on Broadway in 2015, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Controversially, I had never been a huge fan of the soundtrack, as it wasn't necessarily to my music taste, and I'd never streamed the pro-shot because I thought it'd be a show to experience live first-hand. I will say that I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the show, and personally, I don't believe the soundtrack does the stage presence justice. Initially, I hadn't understood the hype surrounding Hamilton, but it is now more than definitely clear why!

Introducing the review, I will say giving a star rating was very challenging between 4 and 5 stars, because I immensely enjoyed the overall experience of the show. The Victoria Palace Theatre is a beautiful venue which I adore, and sitting on the front row of the stalls, you really feel the full force and attack unlike anything else. The cast, I found, were very good at addressing the whole audience, in a way which was very charming and inviting. Particularly Simon-Anthony Rhoden's performance as Aaron Burr, who enacted the role of a storyteller, helped to define eras and shifts in action, and Rhoden really felt as if he was leaning in to divulge us individually in the peaks and troughs of his political opponent. And his number 'The Room Where It Happens' was a central showstopper for me, with a very slick style, which doesn't rely on the typical ballad, in a way to highlight the creeping tensions of the political fallout. Equally with audience interaction, Joel Montague gave us a wonderfully amusing yet brief King George. We were very much in the golden seats, as when King George looks at you dead in the eyes to tell you that "you're [his] favourite subject", that's something that will remain a constant memory of this show. By far, Montague's character is the biggest 'fan-favourite' of the show, though the comical opportunity seemed a bit misplaced, where it could've been nice to see beyond the funny, or simply more moments, as the parody of the British monarchy is cleverly done, but antagonising him struggled to hit.

The main reason I decided to give Hamilton 4 stars is due to the plot. With the central story following founding father Alexander Hamilton's turbulent and remarkable life, it is worth crediting Miranda and the creative team for highlighting his forgotten legacy, and his drive for change during the American Revolution. However, having little knowledge prior to the show regarding this era of history, I found myself a bit lost in various moments of the musical, particularly political moments in both acts. As it is largely sung through, for me it has potential for some moments to be slightly lost because of the pace, where beauty could have been found in spoken moments. Overall though, I enjoyed the essence of having vignettes of action to whirl through the story, varying in tone, and each scene very unique by their own.

Reuben Joseph was outstanding in the titular role, nailing huge flashy numbers, and finding his guilt and defencelessness the history books can't visualize. Miranda's original portrayal of Alexander Hamilton left huge shoes to fill, and it felt Joseph really made the role his own away from other actors in the role, with perfect enunciation through the lyrics, certainly in highlighting the subtlety of emotion through 'Hurricane'. The Schuyler Sisters were a favourite of mine, I feel their dynamic worked very well, certainly Angelica and Eliza's relationship (Allyson Ava-Brown and Shan Ako respectfully). The parallels through 'Helpless' and 'Satisfied' are extremely creative, and definitely a highlight of the show as we are invited through both the sister's perspectives of a night that changed everything. A final nod towards Waylon Jacobs (Lafayette / Jefferson) is wholly deserved, as the energy and attention to character was absolutely splendid. He maintained a cheekiness across both his roles, and really ignited a feeling of wanting to stand up and join in the dancing, infectious joy through his facial expression especially!

Following on from the dance and choreography, Andy Blankenbuehler and the choreo team made an absolute spectacle, at times very complex but nonetheless incredibly impressive to suit so many different tones across the show. At times, I would suggest there was a lot going on across the stage at once with dancing and other action, sometimes challenging to know what to look at when there are lifts etc. Though this is something I can imagine I would see very differently a second time round, to focus on different areas. Paul Tazewell's costume design was stunning to see develop, with periodically accurate clothing fused with contemporary influence. The elegance of the sharp colours to me were very indicative of traits such as wealth and desire (the red of Maria Reynolds' dress) , though these were left to my personal interpretation which I always find fascinating.

Alike my other reviews, these are just some of the highlights I found from the show, although many other elements and talented individuals worked well together to produce this wonderful modern musical. Perhaps if I were to see it again, to understand the plot further and take in the action once more, it may enhance my love of the show even more. Hamilton hugely surprised me, and I would encourage anyone interested to catch it live for the full experience, especially now it embarks on a UK tour, get your tickets!!

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