NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S 1776
Until Hamilton, if you’d asked me if I liked rap music, you’d have gotten a pretty quick, “No.” And I still do cringe at the memories of cars driving up my street with offensive lyrics played at sonic boom levels, because that had been my primary exposure to rap. So why did I jump at the chance to catch Hamilton at the Civic Theatre, not for the first time, but for a second time? And why would I certainly go again on its next tour? Because the musical, once again touring the U.S., is an exquisite blend of musical and choreographic styles where the rapping is just a piece of the puzzle, and a very enjoyable one.
Tyler Fauntleroy and Company
The Company
Not only does rap not define most of what you’ll hear, but the rapping in it is far more like brilliantly chanted poetry than someone screaming at you. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s flair for rhyme is outstanding. So often one of the two words in rhyme seems the obligatory for the other one to be there, but Miranda finds combinations where both halves are equally valuable in storytelling and/or expressing feeling. For instance, so much is conveyed as Alexander Hamiliton’s (Blaine Alder Krauss) sister-in-law Angelica (Jisel Soliel Ayon) bemoans, in such clever rhyme:
“Alexander Hamilton is penniless,
But that doesn’t mean I want him any less!”
Nathan Haydel, Tyler Fauntleroy, Jared Howelton, Elvie Ellis, and Company
Tyler Fauntleroy, Jimmie "JJ" Jeter, and Company
The story itself is tremendous. Miranda takes a bold, imaginative look at a key part of American Revolution history that most of us gave four minutes of attention to in eleventh grade, if that, and finds in it both dark drama and fodder for great humor. We learn that Alexander Hamilton, though Caucasian, was born out of wedlock in the West Indies, immigrated to the U.S. where he became orphaned, and grew up outside of the elite. A fierce revolutionist and pamphleteer, he gained the attention of others in the cause and worked his way up from the streets to become General Washington’s (Karmeron Richardson) most trusted advisor, but not without making his share of enemies along the way. In particular, he deeply alienated Thomas Jefferson (Simon Longnight), James Madison (Eddie Ortega), and Aaron Burr (Deon’te Goodman). Part of what makes the story so rich and human is that, while Hamilton is certainly the central character, he’s not entirely a protagonist. We’re rooting for a good outcome for him, but we’re also hoping to see some change in him to deserve it (and in case you don’t remember your history books well, I won’t tell you how it turns out so that you get the full drama of that).
Lauren Mariasoosay, Marja Harmon, Lily Soto
Lauren Mariasoosay and Tyler Fauntleroy
In terms of the production, I came out of my first viewing liking it, but left this experience loving it. The casting and Thomas Kail’s direction made the characters sharper and the story easier to follow. Mr. Krauss is perfectly cast and has all the flair and vocal chops needed, but as written, he’s not really the most interesting part of it; the characters around him are what make this show so special. Mr. Longnight is delightfully contemptable as Jefferson. Paul Louis Lessard, as the mincing King George III, pulls off wonderfully persnickety lines, like “I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love.” Mr. Richardson’s Washington brought down the house with the nearly-gospel sounding number called, “One Last Time.” And perhaps the most chilling performance goes to the wife, Eliza Hamilton (Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama) with “Burn,” in which we watch her innocence smolder away.
Justin Matthew Sargent as King George III, now played by Paul Louis Lessard
Choreography is gorgeous under Andy Blankenbuehler‘s great variety and precision. Paul Tazewell’s costuming would be worthy of coming to see, even if no one had sung or danced. Hair and wigs by Charles G. LaPointe completed the looks to a T.
A.D. Weaver and Company
One of the criticisms I’ve heard of this show over the years is that many of the lyrics, especially at the outset, go really fast, particularly when put into the sing-songness of rapping (which there’s more of in the beginning than the rest). This, unfortunately, does still hold true. Just as with shows featuring a strongly-accented actors, one develops an ear for the rhythm and catches more, but even in Act II, there were times I just had to let lines go and get the gist from context. I can see why hordes of millennials got the soundtrack and played it over and over, learning the clever lines and perhaps catching more each time till they could sing along. I envied my companion who knew every line and just got to watch it be played out so exactingly, while I was working harder to follow it. But, regardless, we both left with big smiles.
As Washington, Mr. Richardson says, “Dying is easy. Living is harder.” Alexander Hamilton didn’t live an easy life. But luckily for us, it was a fascinating one.
Tyler Fauntleroy and Company
Elvie Ellis, Nathan Haydel, Jared Howelton, Tyler Fauntleroy
photos of other tours by Joan Marcus
Hamilton
national tour
presented by Broadway San Diego at Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue
for tickets (beginning at $57), call 619.564.3000 or visit BroadwaySD
ends in SD on May 18, 2025
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Hamilton
