Starring: Joseph Morales, Jared Dixon, Stephanie Jae Park
Director: Thomas Kail
Music, Lyrics, and Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Venue: Ed Mirvish Theatre
Run Information: Hamilton is currently running through May 17, 2020.
Rating: ★★★★½
In the Trump-era, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical shows us what America could be.
Time is art’s worst enemy; it corrupts, tarnishes, and dilutes the message embedded within a piece. There are dozens of musicals that have failed the test of time, either because their themes don’t resonate with audiences today or the story itself isn’t compatible with modern sensibilities: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, which follows a British governess as she tries to ‘fix’ the barbaric king of Siam, is repulsive today, while many famous musicals from the early 20th century lack any substance or depth that would jive with a 21st century audience.
So, the mark of an excellent piece of theatre is perhaps if it can transcend time and continuously reinvent itself. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 hip-hop musical Hamilton does just that. Sure, five years may not seem like much time, — unless you are a fan of the musical who was passed patiently waiting for the show to arrive (that it has taken five years for Hamilton to wind its way to Canada’s theatre capital has infuriated many) — but the U.S. has undergone monumental change since 2015.
When Hamilton first premiered Off-Broadway, American society was not that different than the portrait of newborn America portrayed in Miranda’s musical, an America filled with hope, optimism, and immigrants who ‘get the job done’; Hamilton was a reflection of the Obama-era. Five years later, America could not be more different. In the Trump-era, the country is filled with division, fear, and immigrants who are fighting for their place in society.
Within those five years, the musical could have easily crumbled in the face of societal change, coming off as deeply ironic or blassé with respect to the times we are now in. Instead Miranda’s story has taken on a metamorphic nature and continues to reinvent itself with the changing times. While Hamilton no longer reflects modern America, it shows us what America could be. And that message felt deeply resonant with the almost entirely Canadian audience at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. On paper, it shouldn’t resonate with us; as one audience member behind me noted, we are the redcoats after all. But it does resonate and we are left rooting for these founding fathers — portrayed by a diverse cast of Asain, Latino, and African background — as they seek independence from the British and start a new nation.
It is a testament to Miranda’s talent as a composer, lyricist, and book writer that Hamilton’s message can transcend time and geographical location. His use of hip-hop throughout — especially in act one, where the story of the revolution is the driving narrative — serves as a metaphor for rebellion. Yet, Miranda manages to weave in other genres of music as well, from jazz and classical to lyrical ballads, in order to create a varied musical palette that helps paint the soundscape of a diverse, bustling America.
In addition to this eclectic score, Miranda has crafted a profound and multi-layered story that doesn’t just explore the life of Alexander Hamilton (Joseph Morales), but also examines the complex characters surrounding him. As an immigrant from the small Carribean island of Nevis, Hamilton first meets Aaron Burr (Jared Dixon), who becomes his frenemy and ultimately kills him in a duel (don’t worry — this isn’t a spoiler as it’s in the first five minutes of the show). At the start of the American revolution, the pair join forces with Marquis de Lafayette (Warren Egypt Franklin), John Laurens (Elijah Malcomb), and Hercules Mulligan (standby Conroe Brooks, who was on during the performance I saw). Soon, Hamilton’s star begins to rise as he is recruited by President George Washington (Marcus Choi) to be his right-hand man, much to Burr’s chagrin.
While the first act could stand-alone as a fine one-act musical focusing on the American Revolution, the second act of Hamilton delves deeply into Hamilton’s personal struggles, especially his relationship with his wife Eliza Schuyler (Stephanie Jae Park) and his sister-in-law Angelica Schuyler (Ta’Rea Campbell).
Though Hamilton could easily have fallen into the trap of being a recitative biographic musical, the show is paced so well that it never becomes a tiresome slog, despite book loads of information whizzing off the stage. Miranda artfully balances heavy rap songs with lighter lyrical ballads, and juxtaposes moments of gravity with levity (many of which come from Neil Haskell’s hilarious portrayal of King George).
But the best aspect of Miranda’s musical is his clever lyrics. Packed with internal rhyming, double entendres, and literary devices, his words could stand-alone as winning poetry. It is this ingenious lyricism that allows Hamilton to take on new meaning no matter where or when the musical is playing, and is what sets Miranda apart from his contemporaries to make him one of the foremost lyricists of his generation. If only Nevin Steinberg’s sound design could be more clear so that the audience could better appreciate Miranda’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work.
Nonetheless, the rest of director Thomas Kail’s production shines, particularly Andy Blakenbuehler’s kinetic and tableau-filled choreography, which makes wonderful use of a triple turntable on David Korins’s gorgeous wooden set. Howell Binkley’s crisp lighting design complements the staging and helps to accentuate Paul Tazewell’s simple, yet elegant costumes.
Unfortunately, the only point where this touring production falls short is in the casting, particularly among the leads. Morales fails to have the stage presence that the role of Hamilton requires and isn’t the ‘young, scrappy, and hungry’ immigrant that is described in ‘My Shot’. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if it wasn’t that it is Hamilton’s unflinching desire to carve out his own legacy that leads to his rift with Burr. Instead, in this production, Burr’s jealousy seems to come out of nowhere.
Despite the show being called Hamilton, it is really Dixon’s sly and cunning Burr who steals the show, holding the audience in the palm of his hand. His version of ‘The Room Where it Happens’, a song about being the ultimate outsider looking in as Hamilton continues to rise, is a showstopper.
Choi provides a grounded performance as George Washington and Franklin is particularly entertaining as the egotistical Thomas Jefferson in the second act.
But the most important characters in Hamilton are the women, not the men. After all, Eliza and Angelica are ones that decided how Hamilton’s legacy should live on. It was they who decided to forgive him for his misdeeds. Campbell is a strong Angelica and her song ‘Satisfied’, about being a woman in 18th century America, is a highlight. Park, however, doesn’t bring out the nuances of her character, Eliza, leaving this lead female character to be forgotten in the background, just as in most of the history books. And though Miranda gives Eliza some of the most beautiful melodies in the piece, they are punctuated by Park’s shrill voice.
Still, Hamilton demands to be seen. Don’t throw away your shot to see Miranda’s revolutionary musical.
Tickets: Forty $10 digital lottery tickets are available for each performance. Download the Hamilton app or go to mirvish.com for more information.