‘Hamilton’ @ Winspear Opera House (Broadway Dallas)
—Ramona Harper
How does a bastard orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor,
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?
With opening lines that have become iconic in our pop culture, the Founding Father Alexander Hamilton—a “diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal”—delivers his best shot in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s polished jewel among American musicals, Hamilton, a Broadway phenom that rewrote the game in theatrical history.
Miranda (In the Heights) created the book, music and lyrics for Hamilton. The show has received many awards, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and more Tony nominations (16) than any production in Broadway history—winning 11 of them.
Under the creative direction of Thomas Kail and galvanized by the striking choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler (Tony winners both) Hamilton debuted on Broadway in 2015 to an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics and audiences alike. It’s been in high demand nationally and internationally ever since—an overwhelming success by any standard in the theatre.
Hamilton, Miranda has said, presents an “America then, as told by America now”—and a version of democracy built on the shoulders of immigrants. The entire audience at the Winspear Opera House for opening night of the touring company (presented by Broadway Dallas) appeared to be comfortably seated on the same side of the aisle as the show’s Hamilton and Jefferson proudly declared: “Immigrants, we get the job done”—and the crowd roared in approval.
At a time when immigration is a hot button issue in American election politics, our leaders and candidates might pay more attention to the fact that we are all immigrants by choice or by force—every one of us except Native Americans. Americans, are we listening?
Hamilton’s impact on our nation forever changed artistic appreciation for hip hop culture and rap patois, and transformed the view from the top, with race-reversed casting of African Americans, Latinos, and Asians as the Founding Fathers and other principal characters— standing where once we would have expected to see old white men across the stage, shaping the future of America.
A proud Nuyorican, Lin-Manuel Miranda invites us to consider how America actually looks today, not the hue of the Founding Fathers during the American Revolution.
Now in a third return to Dallas since its debut here in 2019, Hamilton filled the house on opening night—Dallasites can’t seem to get enough of it. It was heartening to see so many young people in the audience. Move over, Taylor Swift—the show’s young followers came out in droves for another dose of all things Hamilton. A show that succeeds in presenting American history as entertainment—while cleverly promoting civic education—is a gift to us all.
At this point, Hamilton is really beyond being critically reviewed. For the past nine years the musical has wowed audiences and filled theater venues in the U.S, Great Britain, Germany, and Miranda’s beloved Puerto Rico. Its power as a cultural influencer is its real value, regardless of who is performing onstage.
But as might be expected for a production intended for a coast-to-coast audience, the entire cast of Hamilton’s third U.S. national tour is excellent, a deep bench of vocal and acting talent, including the energetic ensemble of dancers who support and expand the story in movement.
Blaine Alden Krauss as Alexander Hamilton is an exceptional young talent to keep your eyes on. In fact, it’s hard to take your eyes off him during the entire show, as he creates an authoritative but human portrayal of the brilliant, flawed revolutionary.
In “My Shot” we are introduced to the ambitious Alexander Hamilton. Krauss’ energy never flags as he works to move his own fortunes ahead—and those of the land he’s come to love. We believe in him, even though he succumbs to human temptation (“Say No to This”) and has an affair with Maria Reynolds, a temptress played with deceptive passion by Milika Cherée.
Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama’s is Hamilton’s wife, the sensitive and loving Eliza, who shows her full strength in the gripping “Burn.” You might think she would want to burn Alexander along with his love letters, but their relationship is more complex than that. In time, forgiveness comes, but at a terrible price. Eliza and Alexander sing arguably the most beautiful song of the show, “It’s Quiet Uptown,” in the aftermath of their son Phillip’s death in a duel. (The young man is played with impulsive fervor by Tyler Fauntleroy.)
And Yokoyama’s beautiful voice is touching and inspirational in the show’s finale, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”—leaving us with Eliza’s stunning legacy, the 50 years she lived after Hamilton’s death and kept his memory alive.
The Schuyler Sisters were the Richie-Rich daughters of the wealthy politico Philip Schuyler (Nick Sanchez) and Angelica Schuyler (Lencia Kebede) creates the right amount of dramatic tension in the potential love triangle between herself, her younger sister Eliza, and Alexander. Kebede is dynamic in the role and her strong vocals are sung with passion on “Satisfied”—a song that depicts the similarity between Angelica and Hamilton’s aspirational frustrations. They are two-of-a-kind whose twain can never meet.
The bloke who blew Hamilton away in the famous duel, Aaron Burr, is played with a somewhat subdued style by the cool-as-a-cuke Deon’te Goodman. “The Room Where It Happened,” one of the show’s most popular tunes, was Aaron Burr’s showstopper, and later became the title of a bestseller by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. That alone should let you know just how much this tune—and that great line—has impacted our colloquial parlance.
It’s difficult to choose among the showstoppers. Carvens Lissaint as George Washington, a central figure in the fight for independence, is a tall and imposing figure who projects believably authoritative military leadership. And later in the story, when Washington makes the momentous decision to leave his post as the first president of the nation, Lissaint’s emotionally moving “One Last Time” is a tour-de-force.
Hamilton received some criticism from historians, as most of the characters owned slaves, but Miranda never mentions it, focusing instead on the Founding Fathers’ patriotic fervor to create the constitutional basis for a new nation. America is obviously still grappling with the constitutional interpretation of the rule of law and who is held accountable for living up to its intent.
A comedic King George (Paul Louis Lessard, whose quirky English accent sounded a bit more like this side of the Pond) was prescient of today’s challenges when he sings “What Comes Next?” Many Americans are asking themselves the same question today, with much trepidation as to the answer.
Jared Howelton’s spoofy, goofy Thomas Jefferson stopped the show with his comedic brilliance on “What’d I Miss?” upon his return to America as the colonies’ rep in France. Howelton is fantastic and so much fun to watch, with antics certainly unanticipated from the statesman from Virginia. Another young talent to definitely watch.
Eddie Ortega is a calm, secure, steadying presence in Act II as James Madison, when he insightfully remarks in a booming baritone, “Thomas (Jefferson), we are engaged in a battle for our nation’s very soul” in “What’d I Miss.” Another prescient comment on the state of our union.
Scenic design (David Korins) and period costume design (Paul Tazewell) are true to their original Broadway conception. Howell Binkley’s lighting design directs our eyes and lends a soothing intimacy at times, with a beautiful 18th-century candlelight glow that pulsates with authenticity.
Musical Supervision by Alex Lacamoire allows the artists to perform with just the right amount of volume and clarity—never drowning out their performance as is often the case with live musical orchestration.
Hamilton’s cultural impact has changed American theater forever, something few Broadway musicals can claim. And uncannily, its revolutionary creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has many qualities in common with his protagonist’s rebellious spirit: immigrant ancestry, vast cultural influence, and brilliant creative genius. Game-changers like these are indispensable, builders of a new and better version of who we are as the American people.
WHEN: May 8-June 9, 2024
WHERE: Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., Dallas, TX
WEB: broadwaydallas.org
