While Hamilton is widely known for its innovative sound-track, fluid set and outstanding lighting design to me Hamilton won my affections through choreography and ensemble work. Having been a fan of the show for years now, I’d say that a biased opinion is not far out of my reach however, when it comes to the theater I aim for realism and honesty and that is exactly how this review will pan out. 

Since my first viewing of the show, almost a year ago, I would say there has been little to no development- which for the terms of an insanely popular show such as Hamilton I would say is not a bad thing. While some characters on my first viewing were understudies who, respectively, performed somewhat better than the leads, this experience was a similar one to the second time. On my viewing on the 20th, we were met with almost no understudies; so I therefore saw the show in its “fullest form”. With Reuben Joseph as Hamilton and his counterpart Eliza being played by the incredible Shan Ako. The only noticeable understudy being Maya Britto who took over for Allyson Ava-Brown playing the part of Angelica Schuyler. With this information, I am able to write a review of Hamilton in its purest form. 

One of my fears with a musical such as Hamilton is pase. The musical, running at about 2 hours 30 mins, is rather a long musical with a fast paced story and a heap load of information. A new listener, such as my parents who came to visit the musical with me, would struggle to keep up with the story. Missing small words such as “You have my eyes, you have your mother’s name”- Dear Theodosia, would mean you completely misread the song and storyline of the section of the show. This means a subtle nudge and telling my newer listeners to “Listen closely to what they’re saying” is rather common. I believe that the cast did an amazing job of pronunciation, diction and pace. Especially from Reuben Joseph and Simon-Anthony Rhoden who played the two most prominent characters Hamilton and Burr. My mother, who has never once understood the storyline of the show but listened to the soundtrack man times and watched the movie on Disney, finally said she understood what was happening; my belief is that the two leading characters Burr and Hamilton were both so well spoken and clear that she was able to hear their words- not just listen to the sounds. Song-writer Lin-Manuel Miranda has created a piece of art in which the words form a picture that is unique and one of a kind. He is a true talent and I believe the London Cast 2023 brings that picture to life.

A most of the time forgotten about aspect of a performance is the ensemble however in this cast of Hamilton, the ensemble are hard not to forget. The strength, power and momentum they are able to bring to a piece is exhilarating. The opening number; Alexander Hamilton, is insanely strong. While unnamed and uncharacterised, the group add so much to the storyline, characterisation, they have the ability to emphasize and highlight parts of the story. Without the ensemble, this show would not be as popular as it is. Andy Blankenbuehler, Choreographer, did an amazing job bringing the ensemble to life. 

In a whole, Hamilton is a very well rounded musical that is good for experienced theater goer’s. The use of theatrical elements are beyond their time; ensemble, lighting, costume etc. However, I feel a beginner theater-goer would struggle with the attention needed for the musical in terms of length and pace.