HAMILTON

Revolutionary in some ways – but it doesn’t live up to the hype

Venue Victoria Palace Theatre, London Director Thomas Kail Cast Jamael Westman, Rachelle Ann Go, Giles Terera, Michael Jibson

It’s the musical of the millennium, the internet would have you believe. The story of Alexander Hamilton, America’s ‘forgotten’ founding father, is sold out months in advance on both Broadway and the West End, but it’s certainly worth waiting for.

There’s nothing like it on the stage at the moment, with a rich story based on the biography by Ron Chernow and a hip-hop score that is truly something very special.

However, Hamilton is revolutionary in that non-white actors play parts that include George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. While Linmanuel Miranda originally played the title role in the Broadway production, in the UK version, Jamael Westman, whose parents are Irish and Jamaican, plays Hamilton. While America’s founding fathers don’t carry the same cache on this side of the Atlantic, seeing so many actors of colour on the West End’s stubbornly white stage is still an incredible thing to behold.

However, it falls sadly short in its depiction of women. Not only do the female characters lack stage time, they fit every stereotype in the book. There’s the devoted wife and mother, the unlucky-in-love older sister, and finally the saucy seductress. Each serves merely as a support (or foil) to the male characters.

It’s true that Hamilton’s wife Eliza gets the honour of the final song, but her job is only to tell his story – the 50 years of her life after Hamilton’s death are summarised in one verse.

Though Hamilton disappoints in this respect, it’s still well worth the price of a ticket.