In the Room where it Happens: Experiencing Hamilton, the Broadway sensation, in Plymouth.
What’s on Plymouth Culture’s Community reporter, Jessica Warby, shares her experience of the musical that is spending its summer in the Ocean City.
Ten years ago, a musical focusing on one of the United States of America’s founding fathers hit Broadway and quickly gained critical acclaim. The reason why is clear - Hamilton is engaging and unbelievably stunning. The audience remains in the palm of the cast’s hands, laughing, crying, and being stunned into silence by the audible and visual mastery. Personally, I’m not sure that I even breathed during the compelling story of the friends, foes, and lovers who saw in the creation of the United States of America.
I have long been a lover of musicals, so I was thrilled to see that Hamilton was coming to Plymouth. I have never experienced a mainstream musical that pushes the boundaries of representation, music, and choreography to the extent that Hamilton does.
But as a lover rather than an expert, here is the most important question: Is it worth seeing? The answer is yes, one million percent yes.
Pushing boundaries within art forms can make them confusing and harder to enjoy, but Lin-Manuel Miranda, the founding father of Hamilton the Musical, has created a musical that feels fresh with an easy-to-understand historical story. At the same time, it does not fall into the trap of being a history lesson. Presenting the president’s cabinet debates as a rap battle is ingeniously engaging and shows Miranda’s knack for engaging storytelling.
This is the first time that Hamilton has toured in the UK, and it does feel significant that it has come to Plymouth, the city that saw off The Mayflower (the pivotal ship for the British colonisation of America). In a way, it is a full circle moment for Plymouth to be hosting the musical that details the end of the colonies (when “the world turned upside down”) as the British Empire was challenged for abusing its power over the colonies and lost.
A much-loved character, despite only making a few appearances, is King George III, who offers an over-the-top, extravagant comedic relief that is hard not to love. I overheard several children saying how much they loved the pantomime-villain style character. This part of the musical also brought a politically relevant comedic bit - a Donald Trump impression within the lines “You're on your own, Awesome, wow! Do you have a clue what happens now?” in light of the recent, rather controversial, presidency.
The music is a mix of Hip-hop, R&B, and Jazz, all genres that were shaped by American BIPOC communities. More than just being enjoyable, there is an important creative choice behind this. When presenting the story of the USA, a country built by its BIPOC community, it is a clever choice by Miranda to use the music created by them. Although the founding fathers and main historical figures were white, Hamilton the Musical reminds us that that is not the majority of people who built and liberated America, even if we don’t know their names.
With more and more focus on the forgotten women of history, the Schuyler sisters are also not to be overlooked. Casey Al-Shaqsy, Chasity Crisp, and Naomi Katiyo, the performers, certainly succeed at making sure that you are not able to ignore them. The musical references Angelica’s feminist actions, including her encouragement to Thomas Jefferson to include women within the discourse around American policies. It also details Eliza’s role in telling the story of her husband, Alexander Hamilton, after his untimely death, and her charitable work after he died. The wives of political figures in this era can often be written off as attractive accessories, but the strength and wit of the women of Hamilton is brilliantly presented.
I also cannot ignore the beautiful mural located in the foyer. The Theatre Royal Plymouth has employed local artist Azza Gasim, their creative community connector, to create a wonderful, bold, and colourful mural with Hamilton quote “Rise up” in the middle. It succeeds in presenting the strong and beautiful essence of resistance and representation in the Musical. Make sure you don’t miss it!
We often talk about how important it is to learn history so it is not repeated, but learning and engaging in these lessons can often be more difficult than one would believe. This cultural phenomenon shows how history can be engaging when done in the right way, and despite being ten years old, Hamilton still feels as fresh and relevant as when it came out. We are really fortunate for Plymouth to be hosting something as big as this. I really recommend that people see this once-in-a-generation musical while it is on our doorstep.
