Hamilton the musical is coming to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena next year
The rumours are true – award-winning US musical Hamilton is on its way to Abu Dhabi.
The show’s Middle East premiere will take place on January 17 at Etihad Arena, where it will have a three-week run, finishing on February 4.
Those who want to purchase tickets early can sign up for a wait-list on the international tour’s official website, where pre-sale tickets will be available from Friday.
General tickets will go on sale on May 22, with prices starting from Dh180 for the Bronze category to Dh1,700 for a spot at the Royal First Row. Tickets can be purchased via the Etihad Arena website and on Platinumlist.
The Abu Dhabi show is part of an international tour with stops in cities including Auckland and Manila.
“I’m thrilled to bring Hamilton to Abu Dhabi and continue the show’s global journey,” said producer Michael Cassel, who was also behind The Lion King musical’s global run in the capital last year.
“Hamilton’s themes of hope, equality and the power of storytelling are universal, and I believe they will resonate deeply with audiences in the Middle East.”
The show continues Abu Dhabi’s “growing interest in theatre culture, from locally produced shows to international stage performances,” said Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, director general of tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism in the capital. This theatre boom is also present in neighbouring emirate Dubai, which recently hosted a run of West Side Story, and will welcome the award-winning musical Matilda in October. Hamilton is the brainchild of Lin Manuel-Miranda, who wrote the music, lyrics and the script over a seven-year period starting in 2009.
It tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, from his days at King’s College in New York in 1776 to becoming the first US treasury secretary and his eventual death in 1804.
Miranda based it on the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
The musical is rapped and sung throughout, with little spoken dialogue. It features 46 tracks, drawing inspiration heavily from hip-hop, RnB, pop and soul.
The eclectic blend of mainstream genres and the grandeur of the theatrical stage plays a huge part in its success.
Hamilton premiered on Broadway in 2015, and received a record-breaking 16 nominations at the 70th Tony Awards, taking home 11 trophies, including Best Musical. It also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Its West End production, which opened in 2017, won seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.