Broadway Teacher’s Workshop
Hamilton Critique
Susan Frank
“Hamilton” exceeds every possible expectation. That is saying a great deal, after all, it has won eleven Tony awards this year. This show redefines the word “musical”. It is the first hip-hop, rap opera. It is operatic in length of time, it is operatic in storyline with so many characters with important roles to play and great arias to perform. Every emotion is evoked in this show, as in all the great operas, from hilarious joy, to triumphant exuberance to gut-wrenching despair to light humor, to hopeful grace.
It tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington and the beginning of this country. It tells the story of love, loyalty, infidelity, family, jealousy, obsession, revolution, war, passion, and it ends with a famous duel. Sounds like an obvious choice for some great movie, play, miniseries? The book that the show is based on by Ron Chernow tells it all, and does not hold back, and it is long, but there is not a dull moment. What genius, or good fortune or both for Lin Manuel Miranda, that he discovered this book, and realized how much he could do with this story. Hamilton talked and wrote all the time, so Miranda knew that rap and hip hop were great vehicles for all Hamilton might have shared with the world. Hamilton was an immigrant, from St. Croix, so it was a great metaphor to use hip hop and rap and a cast that represents a population of color of this country.
The brilliance of “Hamilton” begins with Miranda’s writing, his clever plays on words, (“Burr, sir,” “bursar , small example), the choices he makes to move the story along, the largesse of the structure of the show, the risks he took (playing the same scene twice from two perspectives, small example) the comedic moments he chose, (the English king), just to name a few. The exuberance and pace of “Hamilton” also reflect Miranda’s use of multiple musical idioms. The obvious ones, rap and hip hop, yes, but then you hear reminiscences of the Zombies with the use of Baroque pop in the King’s songs, you hear jazz and old-time vaudeville in “What have I missed”,for example. It also brings you back to shows like “Godspell” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” without making you think that it is derivative, because Miranda has put it all in a new context, with so many lyrics to follow, with gripping plot to cover.
The behemoth explosion of “Hamilton” begins with Miranda’s sensational talent in creating a vision, but without the incredible acting, this show would not be the success that it is. For example, Austin Smith, who plays Burr shows great intensity, arrogance, stubbornness, through his vocal ability and his facial expressions. However, he also shows great tenderness and familial love when he sings the duet with Hamilton about their children. The audience is transfixed by this extraordinary quiet moment, such a contrast from the songs where he narrates the story, or even more deliberately when he sings, “The room where it happens” showing frustration, anger, irony. “Dear Theodosia” lets you into an inner core in this intimate portrayal of love for his daughter.
He is not the only actor in this show who is so flexible, intense, free in the portrayal of a character. Every last one of these actors shows a three dimensional, believable, larger than life version of these historical figures. Renee Goldsberry, as Angelica, is a seasoned actress with a great deal of experience. Her ability to sweep you into the scene, “Satisfied” for example, just shows you the breadth and depth of her vocal agility. She has to be giving a toast, but then, all of a sudden, you are hearing how she was so taken by Hamilton’s eyes, and how she had to choose to give this man away for the sake of her family. It is Miranda’s writing, and choice of a moment in history to tell, but it is Goldsberry who brings these moments to life. Christopher Jackson, as Washington, you watch him so seamlessly lose his energy and finesse, you see him age through the show. By the end of it, his voice shows age, his walk, his aura has changed. It is clear that all the actors in this show workshop together, they are an ensemble cast, no one is more important than another, they all support each other on and off the stage.
The set design is genius. The stage has two floors, with many staircases to get up and down. The action happens on both levels, all the time, dancing, singing, rapping, it all makes your heart race. Another aspect of this set that is remarkable is the turntable in the middle of the floor. The actors and dancers come on and off the round section in the middle that moves and it shows time passing, it shows different levels of time, it shows different things happening at the same time. It could be confusing, but it works for the complexity of the story; the revolution happening, the families at home waiting, Washington at another site, just to name one example. Another moment is when the scene where Hamilton meets Eliza is repeated, and they go back in time, with the help of the turntable, the music and the lighting. It requires flexibility, agility, and imagination to tell this complex a story, and the turntable and the multi-level stage allow for all of that to happen seamlessly.
There is no curtain in this show. This is another design element that is worth noticing for the audience. The moment the show begins, you are never far from the action that is taking place. Even when there is an intermission, there is only a black-out, no curtain. It gives you a sense that you are actually a part of the story itself. You are an American, you too, have had a hand in making this country what it is. It also tells you that the story is not over, that it continues as we still are challenged by race issues, banking problems, personal stories that affect politics, and immigration, just to name a few.
The lighting is incredible. There are hundreds of lights, there must be thousands of lighting cues for this show, and it is an integral part of the storytelling mechanism. During the hurricane, the lights are multiple colors going in so many different directions, and the round floor moves rapidly with the dancers keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The Revolution shows all its bloodiness and crushing losses through the lighting, great splotches of red about the stage. The lighting can also be very spare, like when the duel happens between Burr and Hamilton. The lighting and the moveable floor allow a flexibility for the use of the space. There are not that many set pieces in the show. A table for the scenes in the bar, a desk for Hamilton and Washington’s office, a few chairs and a table for the scenes in congress. This is a testament to the music and lyrics, a testament to the story, and to the lighting and stage, not to mention the acting, that so few physical pieces are needed.
The direction for this show was obviously a collaboration. You can tell this by the way every character moves gracefully and effortlessly around every other character. They all have so many words to express, and there are so many high intensity moments in this story, and there is action happening on so many levels and every corner of the stage. It is humbling to imagine Thomas Kail directing this show, with Miranda playing the main part. Who would not want to be a fly on the wall for those conversations? There are no words to express the vision, the brilliance, the imagination it took to create the big scenes like the Revolution or the Rap battle, the duels, as well as the intimate scenes, like the forgiveness moment between Hamilton and Eliza, the death of Philip, the duet with the two empty chairs in the front of the stage with Hamilton and Burr.
This is so much more than a musical. It is even more than an opera. It is numinous, it is visionary, it is life-affirming, it is a mirror for a country steeped in insidious conflict, it is humbling and inspirational, an epiphany. It is written by a man who when asked about his success could merely say this, “Hamilton created this country. All I have done is write a couple of musicals.” That is why every moment of this artistic piece is perfect; it is why it crushes your soul and makes your heart grow ten sizes. It is why you leave the theater changed forever and absolutely full of gratitude.
