Review: Hamilton (Chicago)

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Hamilton.
When planning my Chicago trip, the idea of seeing Hamilton there was thrilling, but tickets were so expensive so it looked a little unlikely. My Mum and I had a search online for tickets and we found some rear circle tickets that were fairly well priced (when I say that, I mean as fairly well priced as a Hamilton ticket can be) so we went for it! I saw the original Broadway cast of Hamilton in December 2015, and then saw the new cast on Broadway in April 2017, so to see a production of Hamilton that wasn't Broadway was so exciting. Seeing Hamilton in Chicago was just as magical as it was when I first saw the show in December 2015, and it was even better than the second time I saw it on Broadway. As I've said in my previous reviews, the choreography in Hamilton is the best I have ever seen. The choreography itself tells a story; even if the characters were not speaking, the audience would still be able to follow the story through this mesmerising choreography. The choreography is like nothing else I have ever seen onstage, it is extremely special. When I first saw the set of Hamilton, I liked it, but did not think much of it at the time. However, having seen Hamilton twice since then, I am beginning to like the set design more and more, which I believe is due to the reason that I have now noticed much more of the set. Similar to the shows choreography, the lighting design in Hamilton is the best I have witnessed at any show. I have never seen so much thought and effort go into the lighting design. The costumes are perfect, and as I said in my review of Hamilton in 2015, my favourite costume is King George's. The orchestrations were one particular aspect of the show which had not jumped out at me as being noteworthy previously, however seeing it this time the orchestrations seemed mesmerising. I could hear every single instrument, to the point where it seemed like I could feel the music. This could be due to the theatre having a great sound design. Hamilton consists of my favourite score ever written for musical theatre, and I will admit to knowing every word in the show. The lyrics are extremely well written and are like no other. It is clear that a lot of thought and effort went into the lyrics. Now onto the part of Hamilton that can either make or break a show... the cast!

Joseph Morales as Alexander Hamilton (Alternate)
The two previous portrayals of Hamilton that I had seen were Lin-Manuel Miranda and Javier Muñoz. They were extremely different from each other, with Lin's being a cocky and ambitious freedom fighter and Javier being a man of honour. As much as I liked Javier's portrayal, I struggled with it a little bit, as it was hard to get used to the role being played so differently. Luckily though, I did not have that problem at all with Joseph, I loved his portrayal of Hamilton! He played every stage of Hamilton's life perfectly and you could see the progression of Hamilton throughout the show very clearly. Joseph plays Hamilton with a lot passion and very convincingly. In addition to this, he was phenomenal in both rapping and singing. He really was a great Hamilton!

Daniel Breaker Aaron Burr
The two previous Burr's I had seen were Leslie Odom, Jr. (who won a Tony for the role) and Brandon Victor Dixon. Burr is an extremely difficult role and a lot is needed from the actor that portrays him. Daniel Breaker was the best Aaron Burr I have ever seen. He combined the best aspects of Leslie and Brandon, and in addition added a lot of his own abilities to make the role his own. Daniel nailed the comedic parts of the role and definitely had the best coming timing out of the three Burr's I had seen. His strongest point within the show is at the end of "The World Was Wide Enough", which was when I felt sympathy for him like no other Burr. Burr commits murder, and yet somehow I still felt so bad for the character. It gave me chills. If that wasn't enough, he has a wonderful voice, which is largely displayed during "Dear Theodosia". Seriously, this was a performance for the age.

Ari Afsar as Eliza Hamilton
Both Eliza's I had previously seen in the role (Phillipa Soo and Elizabeth Judd) have been excellent and I am glad to say Ari was also excellent. Ari has a stunning voice and a great stage presence. Her performance could not be faulted; she was a great Eliza!

Jonathan Kirkland as George Washington
Jonathan gave a great portrayal of George Washington. Every Washington I've seen in the show has been great and luckily Jonathan did not let the team down. Jonathan is extremely tall, which was very effective as it gave the character a high status and showed that he was an important figure. He had a powerful voice and sung like no other. It was a wonderful performance!

Aubin Wise as Angelica Schuyler (Understudy)
Karen Olivio (the original Angelica in Chicago) had just left the show a few days ago, but understudy Aubin Wise did not disappoint! She was just as good as Renée Elise Goldsberry (original Broadway cast members) and even better than Mandy Gonzalez (current Angelica on Broadway). Aubin had a large command of the stage and came across as being very powerful, exactly what Angelica needs to be and what I felt was missing from Mandy's performance. Aubin would be more than good enough to play the role full time!

Chris De'Sean Lee as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson 
Chris was very good in both roles, however I am still struggling to have anyone in those roles who isn't Daveed Diggs (original Broadway cast member). Daveed was phenomenal in these roles and it was like the roles were written for him, so he is very hard to match. Having said that, Chris certainly did a good enough job with both roles, as opposed to Seth Stewart (replacement on Broadway) who had a good Thomas Jefferson but struggled with Lafayette.

José Ramos as John Laurens / Philip Hamilton
José acted and sung both roles exceptionally well. This dual role requires a vast amount of versatility from the actor, and José certainly has this quality. The moment of his performance which is the real stunner is Phillip's final scene, where he plays the role with heartbreaking vulnerability.

Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan / James Madison
Wallace is good as Hercules Mulligan, but he truly comes into his element when he portrays James Madison. James Madison has limited stage time, but Wallace delivered the lines of Madison hilariously and had impeccable comic timing. I would even go as far to say that he was my favourite James Madison.

Samantha Marie Ware as Peggy Schuyler / Maria Reynolds
Samantha played Peggy quite differently to how I've previously seen the role, but was still good and certainly left an impression, despite limited stage time. The highlight of her performance though, is her portrayal of Mario Reynolds. Her version of Maria Reynolds seemed to be quite manipulative, something which I thought worked very well for the role.

Alexander Gemignani as King George III
Alexander does have a good voice, however he doesn't quite match up to the two previous King's I have seen (Jonathan Groff and Taran Killam). The King generally seems to work better if it is portrayed as being quite camp, but this wasn't how Alexander chose to play it. Alexander was by no means bad, however I just preferred the performances given by Jonathan and Taran.

In summary, the sit down production of Hamilton in Chicago is a stunner. If anyone is thinking of seeing Hamilton, I would urge them to see this production instead of the current Broadway production. Not only is it much cheaper to see it in Chicago, but it is also much better!

The featured star of Hamilton is, drum roll please... DANIEL BREAKER!

This is a cast full of extraordinary talented actors, but this decision came easily. Whilst in America I saw 14 shows, and in all 14 shows I did not see another performance like Daniel's. This is an outstanding and phenomenal performance; I doubt I will ever see another Burr like Daniel's. Daniel left the Chicago company of Hamilton yesterday, but will be joining the show in New York in a weeks time, so anyone seeing his performance on Broadway is in for a treat!

Now for my final verdict on Hamilton. I give Hamilton...

This rating is obvious; I think my review gives enough explanation as to why this is a 5 star!

Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer