The Inkling Volume 3

In March 2016, I stumbled across a hip hop musical
about America’s founding fathers. Though hotlytipped
to become a big success, it was still largely
unknown… especially in rural England. Within one
listen to the soundtrack, however, I was completely
sold. Over the following months, Hamilton became a
smash hit and I grew to love the show more and more,
accumulating quite a collection of t-shirts, books and
obscure pieces of trivia. Actually seeing the show,
however, always seemed like something well out of
my reach: it was only on Broadway, and even if I
managed to afford plane tickets there’s no way I
would have been able to afford the American ticket
prices. You can imagine, then, my joy when it was
announced that the show would open on the West
End. After almost two years of excitement, I found
myself sat in the theatre about to see the show that I
loved so dearly.
Having rushed from school to my house to the train
station to King’s Cross to the underground to
McDonald’s to the theatre, it still felt surreal. The
entire week leading up to the trip, I didn’t feel
anticipation, as such: I genuinely couldn’t believe I
was going to see it. This all lead up to a moment of
wonder. When I first saw the set, it sank in. I felt a kind
of electricity that was new.
From the moment the first cast member entered, I was
just in awe. The first song, which is probably the least
emotional in the show, had me pretty much crying just
at the fact that I was finally there. But enough about
me being an emotional wreck: onto what I actually
thought of the production…
You’d think that hearing songs you’ve listened to at
least a hundred times can’t be that great. Live theatre,
however, has the power to make one appreciate
songs in a brand new way. I picked up on harmonies
I’d never noticed before and was able to appreciate
the original riffs the London cast added in. What you
can’t get from the soundtrack at all, however, is the
genius of the staging. The direction and choreography
of this production had me deep in thought the entire
time, concentrating to spot all of the hidden
symbolism and subtle references. The highly
complicated movement aspect of the show was
executed flawlessly.
This London cast had a lot to live it up to. The
Broadway production starred the show’s writer Lin-
Manuel Miranda in the eponymous role, as well as a
cast of upcoming performers, many of whom have
since gone on to have leading roles in other musicals
or work on successful TV programmes. Luckily,
London met everyone’s high expectations and more. I
saw alternate Ash Hunter as Hamilton: while I was a
little unsure at the very start of the show, his
performance only got better, and he managed to
encompass all of the character’s emotional extremes -
he was equally convincing as a cocky young writer as
he was as a heartbroken father. My only criticism
would be that there were a couple of moments where
he was lacking energy near the beginning: I would
have liked to see a little more desperation and chaos
from him. Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza was a
powerhouse, and Rachel John was an exemplary
Angelica, with her beautifully nuanced voice.
Christine Allado did a brilliant job of portraying the
contrasting double role of Peggy/Maria and had a
warm jazz voice that was lovely to listen to. Obioma
Ugoala as Washington was intimidating in the perfect
way and the performance of Tarinn Callender as
Hercules Mulligan/James Madison was in many ways
identical to that of original cast member Okieriete
Onaodowan (which was a good thing!).
I met Cleve September (who plays John Laurens/
Philip Hamilton) last summer for an amazing dance
workshop and it was really exciting to see him on
stage. His characters’ scenes are some of the most
emotional in the show and every moment he
performed tugged at the audience’s heartstrings.
Giles Terera as Aaron Burr is possibly the best actor
I’ve ever seen perform: sure, his singing may not have
matched original Burr Leslie Odom Jr but every word
he said - or didn’t say - had a meaning, a reason. He
was utterly believable. Much of the comic relief came
from Michael Jibson as King George III; George must
be a hugely fun role to play, and Jibson made the most
of it.
The unexpected stand-out performance for me,
however, was Jason Pennycooke as Lafayette/
Thomas Jefferson. He had endless energy and threw
everything he had at every moment he was on stage.
Many a time I found myself distracted from the main
action to watch him do something hilarious in a corner
of the stage - he’s definitely a performer who will go
on to do great things.
Hamilton as a musical is, in my opinion, revolutionary.
The Broadway production has changed the landscape
of theatre and Lin-Manuel Miranda is undoubtedly the
writing talent of a generation. I’m so glad the London
production is bringing this unique show to a British
audience: I know there were worries that a story of
American history wouldn’t translate well to the capital
of England, but the wild ticket sales and excitable
audiences have proven otherwise. Obviously it’s
incredibly difficult to get tickets, but if you manage to I
could not recommend this show more - even if you
can’t see it live, listen to the soundtrack. You might
find a new favourite album. Hopefully Hamilton West
End can continue to run for many years to come and
inspire a new age of musical theatre...let’s hope the
next generation of theatre writers don’t throw away
their shot!