Hated to miss this one, but we DID see it before, and Harvey rehearsals trumped this favorite. Thanks, once again, to trusty Guest Reviewer Tom.
HAMILTON
by T.E. Klunzinger
It is not generally recognized that in the mid-teens the Obama Administration was actively considering a new face on the $10 bill, until the then-Treasury Secretary saw this show and realized how much Alexander Hamilton – who devised our financial system – actually deserved his place on the money.
It is also not generally acknowledged that this show, like “Les Mis” and “Miss Saigon” before it, is actually an opera, albeit a hip-hop one, which to say sung-through with no stretches of dialogue. But I suppose that’s quibbling.
Now returning to the Wharton Center, this Broadway-quality production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s seminal masterpiece is also a crackling good show, with precise, intricate lyrics and choreography complemented by top-quality performances.
Apparently some authorized recordings of this show – such as on television – have felt it necessary to provide super/subtitles of the detail-packed lyrics such as is done with opera. Fortunately that is not the case here, since to try to read the lyrics would be to miss the show.
Pierre Jean Gonzalez does yeoman work as the eponymous protagonist, flawlessly navigating through history, his 24 fellow performers and a coat change every few minutes. He even looks somewhat like Mr. Miranda.
Jared Dixon is also good as the conflicted Aaron Burr, who always wants to be in the Founding Fathers’ Club but can never quite get there, really. He’s the classic counter-hero in the tradition of Javert is ‘Les Mis” or Salieri in “Amadeus.”
Warren Egypt Franklin is memorable as Thomas Jefferson, portrayed as something of a fop who nevertheless manages to navigate our newborn political system better than Hamilton.
Amidst all the blue coats, Stephanie Jae Park, Julia Estrada and Paige Smallwood sparkle softly as the Schuyler sisters who were so important in Hamilton’s personal life over the years.
It’s a curious effect of shows which feature great groups of people singing that you feel you best know the lone character who shares his thoughts with you, and here that’s King George, played here by Neil Haskell to literal twinkletoes perfection.
OK, so I’ll admit it’s hard for this old white guy to wrap his arms around what is essentially an extended history lesson about brainy white guys being performed by a decidedly diverse cast. But hey, it works wonderfully on many levels to make the old stuff new for the 21st-Century generation, so it’s well worth seeing – IF you can get a ticket.
Hamilton runs through 4/10 - 7:30pm Tue/Wed/Thur; 8pm Fri; 2pm & 8pm Sat; 1pm & 7pm Sun - at Wharton’s Great Hall.
Check ticket availability and purchase at https://www.whartoncenter.com
HAMILTON
by T.E. Klunzinger
It is not generally recognized that in the mid-teens the Obama Administration was actively considering a new face on the $10 bill, until the then-Treasury Secretary saw this show and realized how much Alexander Hamilton – who devised our financial system – actually deserved his place on the money.
It is also not generally acknowledged that this show, like “Les Mis” and “Miss Saigon” before it, is actually an opera, albeit a hip-hop one, which to say sung-through with no stretches of dialogue. But I suppose that’s quibbling.
Now returning to the Wharton Center, this Broadway-quality production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s seminal masterpiece is also a crackling good show, with precise, intricate lyrics and choreography complemented by top-quality performances.
Apparently some authorized recordings of this show – such as on television – have felt it necessary to provide super/subtitles of the detail-packed lyrics such as is done with opera. Fortunately that is not the case here, since to try to read the lyrics would be to miss the show.
Pierre Jean Gonzalez does yeoman work as the eponymous protagonist, flawlessly navigating through history, his 24 fellow performers and a coat change every few minutes. He even looks somewhat like Mr. Miranda.
Jared Dixon is also good as the conflicted Aaron Burr, who always wants to be in the Founding Fathers’ Club but can never quite get there, really. He’s the classic counter-hero in the tradition of Javert is ‘Les Mis” or Salieri in “Amadeus.”
Warren Egypt Franklin is memorable as Thomas Jefferson, portrayed as something of a fop who nevertheless manages to navigate our newborn political system better than Hamilton.
Amidst all the blue coats, Stephanie Jae Park, Julia Estrada and Paige Smallwood sparkle softly as the Schuyler sisters who were so important in Hamilton’s personal life over the years.
It’s a curious effect of shows which feature great groups of people singing that you feel you best know the lone character who shares his thoughts with you, and here that’s King George, played here by Neil Haskell to literal twinkletoes perfection.
OK, so I’ll admit it’s hard for this old white guy to wrap his arms around what is essentially an extended history lesson about brainy white guys being performed by a decidedly diverse cast. But hey, it works wonderfully on many levels to make the old stuff new for the 21st-Century generation, so it’s well worth seeing – IF you can get a ticket.
Hamilton runs through 4/10 - 7:30pm Tue/Wed/Thur; 8pm Fri; 2pm & 8pm Sat; 1pm & 7pm Sun - at Wharton’s Great Hall.
Check ticket availability and purchase at https://www.whartoncenter.com
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