Author: Sarah Stook

Hamilton is a 2015 hip-hop/rap musical based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury. It chronicles the story of Hamilton, his contributions to early America, his marriage, relationships with figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, scandal and his shocking end. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton has been a huge success, becoming the fastest musical to gross $1BN, winning 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. 

I went to see the U.K. and Ireland Touring Production at Liverpool’s incredibly beautiful Empire Theatre at a sold-out matinee. Here’s what I thought:

Rating: *****

I’ve been spoiled by listening to the Original Broadway Cast (OBC) version for years and whilst that will probably always be the best, the touring production was outstanding. The entire audience was absolutely gripped for two and a half hours. It’s hard to really condense how excellent it was in a review, but I’ll give it a go.

First, a shout out to the cast. It’s hard to live up to the OBC cast, especially the standout talents of Leslie Odom Jr, Christopher Jackson, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, but they did their best. The lead was played by Marley Fenton. Fenton did very well in capturing the wide-eyed innocence of an early Hamilton, though he seemed slightly less able to portray the older and wiser version of the character. One standout was the swing Patrick Munday playing King George. King George is often the crowd favourite and Munday absolutely perfected the mannerisms and the vocals. 

The best, however, was surely Billy Nevers as Aaron Burr. Leslie Odom Jr is considered one of the standouts of the original cast, and Nevers really stepped into his shoes. Burr must be both sympathetic and a villain, and must have one hell of a vocal range. I felt a great sympathy for Burr on a service level, though it may have helped that I am very familiar with him as an historical figure. Still, Nevers was a talent and I’m sure has a very bright future. 

None of the cast disappointed vocally. Hamilton has some very tough vocals, including high notes and VERY fast raps. Each cast member managed to sing well, and I was certainly impressed with their talent.

Choreography and acting was also exceptional. Props to the ensemble for that, because I didn’t quite know where to look during the performances- the singers, the dancers, or anything else. 

The set was very simple, as you can see in the attached photo, but worked for the setting. 

Seeing it in theatre impressed me even more with the Easter eggs and other historical references that Miranda weaved in. I’ve read the book and seen the screened version that they released a few years ago, but this really set the message home. The appearance of certain characters, the placing, the lyrics (some of which come from real correspondence and quotes) and other small details. Hamilton is certainly not perfectly historically accurate, but it’s also a hip-hop musical about the Founding Fathers so it was never going to be. 

I’ve only ever seen one other professionally staged musical, which was Chicago on Broadway in 2017. I don’t live in an area with the room or pull to host hit musicals, which is why we headed down to Liverpool to see Hamilton. I do love movie musicals, and seeing Hamilton on stage made me wish I lived near theatres that put on this kind of show. Seeing a musical live was incredible — not only the production itself, but the beautiful old theatre, the excited audience, and the general vibe. 

To put it succinctly, Hamilton rocked. The story of the ten dollar Founding Father is a great one, and the touring production really put their mark on it. 

What time is it? Showtime! 

Sarah is a writer for Elections Daily, The Mallard and other publications. She enjoys history, reading and fashion.