Review: HAMILTON National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center
Now back in the Triangle through June 14th!
Based on Ron Chernow's 2004 biographical book titled Alexander Hamilton, this musical tells the true story of America's $10 Founding Father. The story begins when he was an immigrant who came to New York from the West Indies. Eventually, he became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was later named the nation's first Treasury Secretary.
Currently, this cultural phenomenon is in its tenth year on Broadway. Believe it or not, I actually first saw Hamilton on June 11th, 2016, just the day before it won 11 Tony Awards (including Best Musical). Getting to be in “The Room Where It Happens” around that time was quite exciting. Especially back during the height of when tickets were impossible to get. Since then, the show has been to DPAC twice in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
Within the past decade and a half, more people have discovered the musical than ever before thanks to a live capture that was filmed in June 2016. When Walt Disney Pictures acquired it, they originally planned a theatrical release for October 15th, 2021. Yet due to the shutdown of all movie theaters and performing arts venues due to COVID-19, the release was moved up to July 3rd, 2020 on Disney+. It ended up becoming one of the most watched straight-to-streaming titles of that year.
After seeing Hamilton (in person) a third time, it still amazes me how Lin-Manuel Miranda took all this historical research and compressed it all into a three-hour rap musical. Let alone the fact that this three-hour rap musical is a very coherent one at that. Director Thomas Kail’s staging successfully keeps everything moving at such an excellent pace. Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography remains just as precised as ever. Alex Lacamoire’s orchestrations still do a brilliant job of bringing Miranda’s score to life. The lighting designed by the late Howell Binkley remains very effective.
The cast this time around truly makes these (now) iconic roles their own. Tyler Fauntleroy gives a charismatic, yet wise portrayal of Alexander Hamilton. This makes him very easy to follow from his arrival to New York to his death in 1804. Jimmie “J.J.” Jeter’s performance as Aaron Burr on the surface appears understated. Yet underneath, it’s revealed to be quite a dynamic one at that. Especially as the show goes on. Amanda Simone Lee, who went on for Lily Soto, as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton is such a powerhouse. Especially in her powerful rendition of her Act II solo number, ‘Burn.’ Marja Harmon as Angelica Schuyler delivers a heartbreaking rendition of her big Act I number, ‘Satisfied.’ Matt Bittner is very amusing as King George III, the comic relief character in the piece. In the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Christian Magby truly brings the house down. Although Nathan Haydel is an absolute firecracker as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton.
Over a decade later, seeing Hamilton live remains just as exhilarating as ever. The crowd still goes nuts for it. Several of the characters (deservedly) got their own entrance applause. It literally feels as if you’re at a rock concert. I was fortunate enough to have attended this performance with a friend who had been wanting to see this show for years, and was BLOWN AWAY. That’s a great thing about long-running hits such as this, there’s still people out there who are experiencing it for the very first time. Whether you’ve seen Hamilton before or not, this touring production won’t disappoint you. If you’ve only seen it on Disney+ and not in person, you’ll most certainly have a GREAT excuse to finally experience this American masterpiece live.
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