‘Hamilton’ at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre – review

Watching Hamilton on Broadway a couple of years ago I was wowed by its brilliance but left the theatre wondering how, on its inevitable arrival in the West End, UK audiences would take to it. The title has since become part of the lexicon, creating enough buzz ahead of the show’s arrival at the Victoria Palace Theatre to ensure buoyant ticket sales – and indeed I have several friends who snapped up seats without having the faintest idea what it’s about.

That said, it’s a very American story about one of the Founding Fathers whose revolt against the British in the 1700s led to the establishment of the United States – hardly a sexy subject for a musical and one that doesn’t have much resonance over here. But sat amidst a wildly enthusiastic crowd for Hamilton’s London debut my fears were happily proved wrong.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Writer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius concept is to retell Alexander Hamilton’s story as a hip-hop/pop/R&B/soul fusion, making a saga that had been gathering dust in history books so vibrant and alive, especially in the second act where the war has been won and the hero is fashioning a political career as his private life is falling apart.

Miranda’s previous show In The Heights was musically daring but its plot was trite. Hamilton, on the other hand, is the perfect melding of Miranda’s songwriting genius with an epic tale that thrills on every level. It’s also, quite wonderfully, a fully-fledged piece of musical theatre that incorporates traditional tropes (dazzling choreography, comedy characters, direct asides to the audience) whilst completely reinventing the form.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

The costumes are authentic but the sensibility is very now, with people of colour cast as many of the leads irrelevant of the actual character’s race. Jamael Westman is Hamilton himself and he follows the template set by Lin-Manuel by playing him as a firecracker rapper who wears his heart and his aspirations on his sleeve. Westman also brings a sexiness to the role and he’s well matched by Rachelle Ann Go and Rachel John as Eliza and Angelica Schuyler – the two women he loves who, along with sister Peggy (Christine Allado), perform the Schuyler Sisters anthem of female empowerment that’s a highlight of the first act.

Michael Jibson is a scene-stealer as King George, all petulance and pout singing You’ll Be Back as a warped love song to an America that has spurned him, and Jason Pennycooke is hilariously sassy in the dual roles of Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. But all the cast members shine, bolstered by the thunderous applause that greets the end of every single number in a show that uses rap for dialogue and doesn’t pause for breath.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Brought to the London stage by the same creative team as the Broadway production, it’s every bit as thrilling over here – maybe more so because the two-year wait has ramped up expectations to rock-concert levels and, at the start of what is sure to be a very long run, the new British cast are flush with enthusiasm.

Many people in the audience know all the music in advance, clearly having had the bestselling score on repeat play. And it’s a brilliant score that reaches its apex in second act number The Room Where It Happens – the biggest earworm in a show that’s packed with them. Hearing the song is one thing, but to be in the room where Hamilton happens before your very eyes? Mesmerising.

Rating: 5/5

For more great deals on tickets and shows visit tickets.attitude.co.uk

Words by Simon Button