Run time: live roughly 3 hours
Intro
This week I decided to write a rather different review. The piece of work that I will be critiquing is not a movie, but instead it is the heavily acclaimed musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda by the name of “Hamilton”. I visited the Victoria Palace Theatre in London for my first ever viewing of the musical. Being a major fan of musicals, I was bursting with excitement.
Plot
The story centres around the history of Alexander Hamilton, the underappreciated member of the founding fathers of America. Its a very interesting tale of the American revolution and the political figures who played a key role in it.
It is due to the plot’s authenticity that I found myself captivated by Hamilton’s journey. Therefore, I will give it a 9.5/10 rating.
Acting
The acting/ singing was fantastic, especially by Washington, played by Thomas Vernal , and King George, played by Joel Montague. They brought an elegance to their characters and made for some very entertaining moments in the musical. Overall, throughout the whole cast, I found the delivery of lines in such a fast-moving, chaotic atmosphere particularly impressive.
The acting in the musical blew me away and I was very impressed by their capacity to utter such complex lines wholst also conveying emotion. Therefore I award the films cast a 9/10 rating
Characters
The characters in the musical intricate and interesting and I was particularly drawn to Aaron Burr, played by stand in Manaia Glassey Ohlson, as despite being the antagonist, I sympathised with his complex character.
Hamilton is full of complicated characters that unravell as the story progresses. I found them engrossing and that us why I give them a 9.5/10 rating.
Dialogue
The dialogue is crucial to Hamilton’s appeal as a musical. Miranda’s intricate lines pose a fascinating puzzle to be cracked whilst viewing the spectacle that is Hamilton. Furthermore, the words used by Miranda creatively give a clear display of each individuals character and amplify their allure .
The script played an instrumental role in making the musical a joy to watch. Therefore, I give it a 9/10 rating.
Music
Being a musical my expectations were high and I was eager to see how Miranda’s incorporation of rap would affect his songs and my audial experience. I must say, it took me the first 5 mins to get used to Miranda’s unusual style but after that I was sold.
A list of catchy and exciting songs warrants a 9/10 rating from me.
Final verdict
Overall, I found the whole experience delightful. The music was authentic and shocked me into appreciation with Miranda’s intricate lines and melodies dovetailing perfectly. I highly recommend that you either watch the film version of the musical on disney plus, or book tickets to see it in a theatre and hopefully it blows you away just like it did to me.