Hamilton Review

    How does one review an international phenomenon? Having only watched it now, 5 years after the musical first opened (thank you, Disney +!), it's difficult to form an opinion that isn't tainted by the weight of its success but I'll do my best. Going into it, I knew relatively little about the show (a conscious choice as I prefer to go in blind), but suspected it wouldn't be my cup of tea given my dislike of Lin-Manuel Miranda's other musical works.

    First, a disclaimer of sorts. I am not particularly knowledgable about rap (though proud to be able to do all of Gangsta's Paradise by heart!), however I do enjoy particular songs and artists on occasion. But even with my limited insight into the genre, I feel I can confidently say that the majority of Hamilton isn't rap, not really. With the exception of Lafayette's solo in "Guns and Ships" (which is freaking awesome and one of the musical highlights of the show for me), most of what we are subjected to is rhymed speaking to a simple beat, with little to no rhythmic complexity; forgive my Eminem-loving ear if I don't count that as rap! Unfortunately, the songs are no better: they manage to simultaneously be lacking in melodic and rhythmic interest, and the accompaniment doesn't even have anything terribly interesting happening harmonically to make up for it. Really, the whole 2h40 is a series of short melodic phrases repeated ad infinitum, ad nauseum (let's see how many days it takes me to get 🎵"Alexander Hamilton"🎵, or 🎵"Eliza"🎵out of my head...). On top of that, there is absolutely no respite with music happening continuously for the entire duration. It's just exhausting! Yes, other musicals do the same thing (Les Mis arguably being the most famous) but they at least have the decency to have some musical quality. I feel Hamilton would be vastly improved by replacing the "rap" interactions by simple dialogue, offering more contrast with the actual musical/rap moments.

    I had never heard of Alexander Hamilton before the advent of the show, which in a way is very much the point. It was interesting to learn about this undoubtedly important figure and I am now intrigued enough to go read more about him. But I am not convinced that this does justice to the man. I am left thinking he was a complex person - as the creators intended, no doubt - but also that he was a whiny hothead whose legacy comes as much from the hard work his wife did after his death as from his own endeavours. However, I suspect much of that comes from the actor playing him...

    Lin-Manuel Miranda can't sing. Sorry, he just can't. And he doesn't really seem able to act much either. Halfway through the show, I had an epiphany: the way most of the songs are written - the same note repeated relentlessly with the occasional jump just to prove it has "melody" - is representative of his ability to perform them. He has no stage presence and, try as he might, cannot be cool in any way. Which makes his casting incomprehensible to me. Ok, sure, he wrote the damn thing, but does that mean he has to star in it?! I don't recall Andrew Lloyd Webber doing a stint as the Phantom!

    Thankfully, the rest of the cast was at the very least competent, with several of the artists showing their talent. Chris Jackson's warm voice and effortless presence brought gravitas to the role of Washington, Renée Elise Goldsberry compensated for the occasional strained note with a hell of an attitude in her Angelica, and Daveed Diggs makes up for not being a consistent singer by bringing both humour and swagger to the double role of Lafayette / Jefferson. But the highlight for me was Jonathan Groff as King George. I already knew he's a brilliant actor (seriously, go watch Mindhunter if you haven't already!) and that he can Sing with a capital "S" from his time on Glee, but here he was just downright hilarious! Every single intervention cracked me up and brought some much needed levity to the "proceedings" (though there were occasional good jokes peppered around, "Immigrants, we get the job done" being my personal, politically charged, favourite).

    I am left glad that I watched it and also tempted to try catching the live version once it reopens to see what a good Hamilton actor can do to the show. So what's my conclusion this time around, you ask? Truth be told, I don't quite know. On the one hand, I have just spent the last half-dozen paragraphs ranting about all the things that made me roll my eyes whilst watching it; but on the other, I can't quite say that it's a bad show and there were moments that I truly enjoyed. I suppose I'm just perplexed as to what all the fuss is about (though I'm convinced that, at least in the US, getting tickets and attending has become a status symbol, the actual quality of the content being largely irrelevant).

Conclusion: Eh, take it or leave it [what's this?]

Hamilton was recorded live in 2016 and was made available in 2020.