Note: We sent two reviewers to see Hamilton! To read our other critic Marin Heinritz' review, head here.
In the ten years since Hamilton debuted, nothing in musical theater has emerged to challenge it; there has been nothing with as sweeping a scope, as grand an ambition, or as deep an impact.
Described by creator Lin-Manuel Miranda as the “story of America then, told by America now,” it remains staggeringly successful, both commercially and artistically.
The touring production first came to DeVos Performance Hall in 2020. Thanks to Broadway Grand Rapids, it’s returned; shows run through August 3rd. Whether audience members are seeing Hamilton for the first time or the fifth, they’ll experience a show that remains as effective as ever. As an early review of the original production stated, yes, it really is that good.
It's the story of an immigrant, newly-arrived, whose hunger to make his way in the world finds sustenance in the Revolutionary War. Brilliant, tireless, and committed, he soon rises to a position of great influence with General Washington (A.D. Weaver), even as he frustrates Aaron Burr (Jimmie “J.J.” Jeter), a chameleon-like man with ambitions of his own.
Hamilton falls for beautiful Eliza Schuyler (Lauren Mariasoosay). Their union feels both romantic and practical; the Schuylers are wealthy and influential, and Hamilton’s determined to stake his claim in high society. Over the course of the story—as the war is fought and won, and as mistakes lead to devastating consequences—Eliza emerges as a figure as central, in her way, as her husband (note that “Alexander” doesn’t appear in the title).
Tyler Fauntleroy, who plays Hamilton, is marvelously charismatic, investing every line with meaning. He can do determined (“My Shot”), tender (his pieces of “Dear Theodosia”), giddy (“Non-Stop”), haunted (“It’s Quiet Uptown”), and more; he makes us care about him even in his worst moments, such as in “Say No To This,” as he submits to temptations he’ll soon come to regret. His performance may be equal to that of Miranda, who originated the role. It may even be better.
Jeter, as Burr, doesn’t scale quite the same heights. He’s charming and sometimes funny, and he nails the fear and anger underlying Burr’s surface-level composure. It may be unfair to compare his performance to that of Leslie Odom, Jr., who originated the role; it’s also inevitable. Odom brought an aching humanity to songs like “Wait For It,” and Jeter, while talented, doesn’t quite.
Mariasoosay is a wonderful Eliza. It’s a role that asks a great deal of a performer: she must be a young woman thrilled by the revolutionary ideas in the air; a glowing bride, a worried wife; a doting mother; and a woman swept up into the storms of grief and rage. If “Burn,” her great solo number, were to fail, her performance as a whole would be for nothing; but instead of a failure, it was a stunning, heartsick highlight.
And that’s to say nothing of Lily Soto, funny as Peggy Schuyler and enticing as Maria Reynolds; Marja Harmon, pulled between sisterly devotion and desire; Christian Magby, good as Lafeyette and even better as Thomas Jefferson; or Paul Louis Lessard, whose King George III is a model of unapologetic haughtiness.
How generous this show is! A lighting obsessive, indifferent to music, would still leave happy; a devotee of set design would be thrilled at the way the seemingly simple, seemingly bare stage is transformed from battlefield to tavern to study to deathbed. The costumes evoke the past without doing so slavishly, and they define the people who wear them; compare the understated dignity of Washington’s clothes to the flashiness of Thomas Jefferson’s.
After the bows were taken, audience members filed out. As they did so, they compared highlights. It was a mark of the show’s quality that many of them listed different songs. Whatever their favorites, they agreed on one thing: that was a great show.
Hamilton
DeVos Performance Hall
July 22-Aug. 3
https://grandrapids.broadway.com/shows/hamilton-2/
