Theatre Review: Hamilton, Bristol Hippodrome

Summary:

Rating: ★★★★★

Running Dates: Tuesday 30th April 2024 – Saturday 22nd June 2024

Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome

Duration: 2 hours and 50 minutes (including interval)

Keywords: Musical Theatre, Hip-hop, Iconic, Moving

Review

It's not often you get to experience a hip-hop musical with sharp choreography, rap battles and locking, especially not one that is executed so well that it has you wanting to get up and dance yourself at times.

Bristol has been filled with such anticipation since news of Hamilton coming to our city was first announced. Everyone I knew scrambled to get tickets as quickly as they could, some even buying tickets for multiple viewings. Since Hamilton premiered off Broadway in 2015, the musical has gone on to receive worldwide acclaim and numerous awards, including 11 Tony awards, and is hailed as one of the most iconic musicals of the century. Despite its popularity, this is the first time in almost a decade since its premier, that the show will be embarking on a UK tour.

Entering the Hippodrome, the excitement was palpable and within the first 5 minutes Hamilton starting, it was immediately clear that the buzz that has been building for months was completely justified. The drink brought in with me was almost immediately abandoned as the cast had my full attention with their captivating delivery. By the end of ‘My Shot’, my first thought was “My heart cannot handle it if the entire show is this good”. Safe to say, I was proven wrong as my heart handled it just about enough to share how spectacular the entire experience was.

Shaq Taylor as Hamilton was impeccable, bringing such power to the role while at the same time adding lightness and comedic flair, at appropriate moments of course. His commanding presence in the role was undeniable but in no way took away from the rest of the cast who all held their own and were just as impressive. The rapturous audience applause after each musical number was clear evidence of the high energy and joy the cast was bringing, not only a credit to their phenomenal talent but also to the chemistry and comradery between them. Maya Britto as Eliza was so impactful and emotional in ‘Burn’ where her delivery made you feel her anger and feelings of the betrayal deep in your soul. Britto again brought the audience into her experience during the reprise of ‘Stay Alive’, perfectly executing the anguish felt by a parent losing their child.  I would bet there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience after that as even around me, I could hear the gentle rustling of tissues and sniffles from people.

Throughout both acts, we also get to meet Eliza’s sister Angelica. Angelica portrayed by Aisha Jawando is a vocal powerhouse and had me floored, unable to take my eyes off her during the delivery of ‘Satisfied’. The dual roles portrayed by Billy Nevers (Jefferson/Lafayette) and KM Drew Boateng (Madison/Mulligan) was executed seamlessly despite the differing temperaments of their characters and the delivery was stronger and more memorable than even the Disney+ performance in my personal opinion, making it easy to forget that it is actually the same person playing both roles – a credit to the skills of both Nevers and Boateng.

It's not often you get to experience a hip-hop musical with sharp choreography, rap battles and locking, especially not one that is executed so well that it has you wanting to get up and dance yourself at times. The talent of the cast is supported by the equally important orchestra led by Zach Flis and set design by Rod Lemmond and David Harris. The set design, adapted for the stage from the original by David Korins looks identical and it is this moving set that contributes well into bringing audiences into the experience, making you feel like you were right there at the original stage.

By the end of the show, the audience jumped to their feet to show what we had all been feeling the entire time – awe, amazement and just utter thrill at being there. It was as though no one wanted to stop the standing ovation because it was just that amazing. Despite all the praise Hamilton has already received, this UK tour is bound to help it soar even higher with the all-round perfect delivery from start to finish.

It was one of the best musicals I have ever experienced and it is bound to be the same for people across UK in the upcoming months. Beyond that, it is incredible that many young people will be able to see representation on a musical stage done so well like they have never seen before.

If you haven’t already got tickets I would run to get them now. Don’t worry though, you won’t have to beg, steal, borrow or barter for a ticket as they are still available from Hippodrome.

Standout Moment: Impossible to pick.

See if: You don’t want to throw away your shot at catching one of the best musicals!

Last Impression: An incredible night and can’t wait to see it again.

To get tickets for the show click here

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Annabel Leo