So, I finally got around to seeing the Toronto production of Hamilton.

I’ve seen Hamilton before – twice, actually. Both times on Broadway, but once with the original cast. The first time I saw the show, I felt so lucky to be in the “Room Where it Happened” that I squeezed my friend Mar’s hand for nearly the entire show. It felt like we were living in a dream – experiencing something truly special.

The second time around, though, the novelty faded. Was it the cast changes? Was it the fact that I knew what was coming? Had my tastes changed? The show was great, but it wasn’t magical.

It’s been about 6 years since the last time I saw the show, so heading into this production, I spent some time reflecting on the following:

• Why is Hamilton so popular?
• Is the material of the show as good as I thought it was?

Why is Hamilton so popular?

1. The music: it uses modern music and rap to connect to a broader audience than would otherwise go see Broadway musicals.
2. The timing/themes: The show was written during the Obama era, which many people (especially the left-leaning theatre community) consider to be a period of hope and optimism. The musical then came out in 2016, which, I would argue, was the beginning of a period punctured by a rise in populism. No matter what side of the political spectrum people fell, there was a deep sense of divisiveness and that “something is wrong and needs to be fixed.” The themes of the show – fighting for democracy, the power of collaboration, perseverance and hard work to rise from nothing, forgiveness, the perils of ambition – seemed to be particularly relevant. Plus, everyone loves an underdog story.
3. The casting choices: The show’s cast is made up of ethnically diverse actors playing the roles of historical white figures like Jefferson and Washington. For the original production, the casting team said that they were simply looking for the best R&B singers, rappers etc. (and thus race fell into place naturally), but for subsequent casts, the team shifted their perspective and began utilizing “colour-conscious” casting, i.e. intentionally casting certain ethnicities. This interview with the creators/casting team sums this up pretty well. Political implications aside, it’s a smart business decision. Perhaps a tad gimmicky, but it gets people talking, and talk sells tickets.
4. Great marketing: lots of buzz, lots of free performances before the show creating a cult-like fanbase, $10 front row lottery tickets, etc.
5. Great cast, creative team, producing partners: the original performers were all incredibly talented. The director, choreographer, set designer…they were all top-notch. And, from what I can gather, the production partners worked well with the creative team – the Public theatre, Jeffrey Seller etc.

Is Hamilton really that good?

In artsy circles, sometimes it’s not cool to like something with mainstream popularity. I get it..we all want to be special snowflakes. But I would argue that yes, Hamilton really is “that good.”

1. The lyrics are so smart. So, so smart. They read like pure poetry. The lyrics sound so effortless, but they’re most certainly not. Lin-Manuel Miranda took a whole year to write Hamilton’s “I want” song, which is called “My Shot.” My favourite line from that one is: “I’m past patiently waiting, I’m passionately smashing every expectation, every action’s an act of creation. I’m laughing in the face of casualties and sorrow, for the first time I’m thinking past tomorrow.” *Chef’s kiss*
2. The music is well-constructed. I’m not a rap aficionado (shocker, I know), but there are many references to previous artists, songs, styles of music, other musicals and plays…not just rap. It’s very impressive. Rap music does a lot of “sampling” other artists’ work (i.e. taking snippets and repurposing it), so it seems in-genre to bring this into a musical. From a more technical standpoint, the music is quite complex. There are various themes that work their way through the show and build upon one another. Each character has a distinct musical place that they live in, so when you hear a song start, you can sort of figure out who will be performing it.
3. The costumes, the set design – it’s all clever. Simple, but carefully designed. Colours are chosen deliberately. Also, I love a stage that rotates. It makes for really dynamic staging choices, especially during big group numbers.
4. The cast – immensely talented. The original cast was excellent, but I think since the show is so popular, it attracts a large talent pool, so the casting directors can continue to pick the cream of the crop.
5. The story – there’s exciting action scenes (war, fighting, fast raps), there’s sentimental scenes (e.g. “Burn”). There are levels.
6. It’s well-paced. I especially love the finale sequences for Act I and II. Lin-Manuel Miranda really knows how to do a finale right. I don’t think I can think of a better Act I closer other than maybe One Day More in Les Mis.
7. There aren’t too many characters that each one isn’t fully fleshed out.
8. It’s easy to follow the plot – i.e. you don’t need to overthink it. You can, obviously, do a deep-dive into the brilliance of the lyrics/music, but you don’t have to at all.

So, regardless of whether or not the music or plot are to your personal taste, it’s objectively a well constructed show. So why, then, didn’t I LOVE it when I saw it the second time on Broadway? Was it because I paid an arm and a leg (whereas the first-time around, I was gifted the tickets)? Was it because the casts’ diction wasn’t great, so even though I knew the words, I found it hard to appreciate the intricate details? Was it because not enough time had passed from the first time I had seen it (and had spent the past year listening to the soundtrack on repeat), so I was Hamilton-ed out? Probably all of the above, plus the fact that I felt super special seeing the original cast, as if I’d been a part of Woodstock or a presidential inauguration. However, I don’t want to discount the most important fact: when Lin-Manuel is in the show, it’s a million times better.

Watching Lin-Manuel Miranda perform Hamilton is like watching an artist paint their masterpiece. No, he doesn’t have the best singing voice, and his acting is great but not the best in the cast. But Lin-Manuel’s on-stage presence, his passion, his drive, his genius…it’s truly unbelievable. It is like witnessing lightning strike. And his impact cannot be underestimated.

So, Hamilton in Toronto. The verdict..I liked it a lot! More than the second time I saw it, mostly because I think the cast was stronger and I hadn’t been listening to the music obsessively leading up to the show. A few things I liked:

• The actor playing Hamilton, Trey Curtis, read as fairly young on stage, and the actor playing Washington, Darnell Abraham, read as much older. In the original cast, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Chris Jackson read around the same age. Having an age gap added a new depth to their relationship, especially since Hamilton was an orphan, so there was a distinct paternal vibe.
• The Toronto Hamilton, Trey Curtis, was energetic, effortlessly likeable…someone you want to root for. He also had a beautiful singing voice. Trey took a song I typically skip over, “Hurricane” (which is a fully-sung Hamilton solo), and made it a favourite of mine.
• The remaining leads were all solid. Burr (Donald Webber Jr.) – fantastic. Eliza (Morgan Anita Wood, aka Morgan from the most chaotic reality TV show of all time, Kid Nation) – fantastic. Eliza’s performance of “Burn” was especially heartbreaking. There were some pitch issues in one of the leads’ songs, but I’m not calling them out because I think it was a sound/mic issue, and they were pitch-perfect for the rest of the show.
• The actor playing Washington had a gorgeous deep, operatic voice. His diction wasn’t super clean, and I had difficulty understanding him, but his voice was so pretty that I didn’t care too much. He could just have sung vowel sounds and it would’ve been confusing but fine.

If you haven’t seen Hamilton yet, I would highly recommend catching the Toronto show before it closes. It’s a very solid production. Sparing Lin-Manuel Miranda re-joining the show, I’m not sure there’s much else you can ask from a replacement cast.

I’m in New York at the moment, so expect some Broadway/Off-Broadway reviews coming soon, as well as a cool interview. Thanks for reading 🙂

Hamilton is playing at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto until August 20. I’d recommend checking out the $59 rush tickets for this show, which are released at 9 am almost every day for same-day performances. From experience, I’ve found that there’s often a second wave of tickets released at around 11 am, which is how we snagged front orchestra seats.

Featured image: Mirvish.com