Review: HAMILTON at Robinson Center 'Blow(s) Us All Away'

Hamilton!! Hamilton came to Little Rock! Do I really even need to go on with this review? Ok, well, of course I knew it would "Blow Us All Away." Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Celebrity Attractions and the powers that be for bringing this powerhouse of a musical to Robinson Center, 426 W Markham St, in Little Rock, which is still going on until February 20, so if you have not gotten your tickets, do not "Say No to This!"

For those of you who have not seen a musical since Rodgers and Hammerstein, this is a completely different kind of production that breaks all sorts of musical theatre norms and launches the genre into the 21st century gaining newer generations' excitement and older generations' admiration. It is safe to say that Hamilton has now taken its shot, and I am beyond thrilled to be in "The Room Where It Happens."

Here is my very brief synopsis: It is about Alexander Hamilton (the ten-dollar founding father) and inspired by the biography of the same name, written by Ron Chernow. Book, music, and lyrics is by the insanely gifted Lin-Manuel Miranda, who sadly did not play the title role in the touring production, but that's ok. It is still great!

If your family is like my family who saw it a few million times on Disney Plus, you will notice that Director Thomas Kail stuck almost strictly to the original production. There were only a few minor things I noticed that were slightly different but nothing major, and I was so impressed to see that they had the rotating stage-how cool is that?!

One of the amazing things about this show is that the performers are so diverse. When you think of the founding fathers, you think of old white guys with wigs. Though I am sure some of the cast members of the Angelica touring group do, indeed, have wigs, the group has many different ethnicities. Miranda's intention is for the audience to see themselves in the building of the nation. Not only are there Caucasians, most of the leads are either African American or Asian and possibly other nationalities as well. It is refreshing to see that anyone could be in the show.

And speaking of the cast, the talent in this group is top notch. Edred Utomi as Alexander Hamilton captures his essence, especially in the beginning as an immigrant making his way to America. I loved the comradery of his group of friends played by David Parks (Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Jon Viktor Corpuz (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton) and Tyler Belo (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison). Likewise, it was enjoyable to see his chemistry with the leading ladies Zoe Jensen (Eliza Hamilton), Lencia Kebede (Angelica Schuyler), and Yana Perrault (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds). Josh Tower as Aaron Burr is fun to watch as his jealousy gets worse and worse throughout the play; Paul Oakley Stovall as George Washington is commanding with a little flair; and Peter Matthew Smith as King George is, well, hilarious. I loved them all!

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