THE BASICS: HAMILTON, North America tour of the musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, runs until Jan 2, 2022 (a three week run!) Tuesdays – Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00, Sundays at 1:00 and 7:00. Holiday Exceptions: two shows 12/23 at 1:00 and 7:30, no shows at all on Christmas Eve 12/24, and one show only Christmas Day at 7:00. New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day have regular performance times. Shea’s Performing Arts Center is at 650 Main Street, Buffalo (716-847-1410) Sheas.org. Vaccination and masks required. Concessions are open. Click here for complete details, including the new $3 (beverage not included) cup that you can take back to your seat.
Runtime: 2 hours, 45 minutes including one intermission
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: HAMILTON, the 2015 musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired by his reading of Ron Chernow’s 818-page biography titled Alexander Hamilton about of one of America’s Founding Fathers. As the musical progresses, we learn that Hamilton was born out-of-wedlock in 1755 in the West Indies and orphaned at an early age; was taken in by a local merchant; showed intellectual promise, and in his teens was sent to King’s College (now Columbia University in the City of New York). He wrote in support of the Continental Congress, held various military roles, and eventually became an aide to General George Washington, and ultimately was appointed the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.
He married socialite and philanthropist Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler, they had a number of children, including first born Philip, killed in a duel, as Hamilton himself was, leaving Eliza to live for another fifty years as a widow fully engaged in a number of causes.
HAMILTON has a wide variety of musical styles but most of it reflects composer Miranda’s love for and knowledge of hip-hop.
HAMILTON has a wide variety of musical styles but most of it reflects composer Miranda’s love for and knowledge of hip-hop. It’s far from straightforward rap however and includes a number of mash-ups with R&B and various other melody-based forms. It has won Tony and Grammy Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. Miranda himself sums up Hamilton as being about “America then, as told by America now.” It is a cultural phenomenon.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: I went on the second night of the run, with one “Standby” taking a role, and that was the one-named Meecah in the role of Eliza. She was phenomenal as was most of the rest of the cast. The title role was sung by Pierre Jean Gonzalez whose looks and whose voice were uncannily close to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s. So if you’re used to hearing Phillipa Soo and Lin-Manuel Miranda (the original Broadway Eliza and Hamilton) in your earbuds, you won’t be disappointed at the live, on-stage performance at Shea’s.
Jared Dixon played Aaron Burr well, Marcus Choi was excellent as George Washington, and Western New York native Neil Haskell more than lived up to his entrance applause in the role of King George III.
Unfortunately, the voices of Ta’Rea Campbell as Angelica Schuyler and Warren Egypt Franklin in the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson didn’t have the crispness that I needed to clearly hear the rapid-fire lyrics. If I hadn’t seen HAMILTON twice before and owned the Broadway Cast Album, I would have been lost during their songs.
The staging and costumes seemed identical to the earlier tours although I felt that the choreography had been altered slightly. But it’s still a razzle-dazzle non-stop feast for the eyes with a multi-level set and a revolving stage.
One thing that was different from the last tour of HAMILTON was that the times have changed, most significantly since the January 6 storming of the Capitol and the attack on American democracy. While before, watching the founding fathers on stage seemed like a sentimental trip down memory lane, this time around I felt much more of the anxiety they must have felt. Would this system of government really work?
In particular, the smooth transfer of power and administrations is specifically dealt with. King George III sings that he didn’t know this was even something people in power could do. Then the song “One last time” has Washington asking Hamilton for help in writing his farewell address. Hamilton thinks that Washington should stay in power, but the President wisely sings: “One last time, and if we get this right / We’re gonna teach’ em how to say goodbye / …If I say goodbye, the nation learns to move on / It outlives me when I’m gone.”
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!