Hamilton

“CRITIC'S PICK "Yes, it really is that good...I am loath to tell people to mortgage their houses and lease their children to acquire tickets to a hit Broadway show. But 'Hamilton,' directed by Thomas Kail and starring Mr. Miranda, might just about be worth it — at least to anyone who wants proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come.”

“This innovative show is shaping up to be just as much of a phenomenon uptown, playing in a Broadway house with four times the seating capacity, and to a more traditional but no less enthusiastic audience. That universal appeal to crossover audiences is one unmistakable sign of a groundbreaking show...Like any true landmark, 'Hamilton' stands up to repeated viewings. After six months, the show’s initial impact hasn’t dulled a bit; in fact, the qualities that made it so extraordinary the first time around are all the more striking.”

“Having already become a cultural phenomenon in its off-Broadway premiere run earlier this year at the Public Theater, 'Hamilton' — written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously made a name for himself on Broadway with 'In the Heights' — seems a shoo-in for smash hit status and a slew of awards attention...The musical is a triumph.”

“What is left to say? After every critic in town (including me) praised the Public Theater world premiere to high heaven; and after seeing this language-drunk, rhyme-crazy dynamo a second time, I can only marvel: They used up all the damn words. Wait, here are three stragglers, straight from the heart: I love 'Hamilton.' I love it like I love New York, or Broadway when it gets it right. And this is so right.”

“A second look suggests that something even more significant is going on. The breakthrough isn’t so much the incorporation of those contemporary genres; after all, Miranda already did that, throwing in Latin music to boot, in the charming 'In the Heights.' But 'Hamilton' not only incorporates newish-to-Broadway song forms; it requires and advances them, in the process opening up new territory for exploitation. It’s the musical theater, not just American history, that gets refurbished. And perhaps popular music, too. Call it Miranda’s manifest destiny, though one dreads the caravans of poor imitators that will surely trail behind.”

“'Hamilton' is the best and most important Broadway musical of the past decade. Why important? Because it sounds as though it had been written last week instead of a half-century ago...So do whatever you have to do short of grand larceny to score a ticket to 'Hamilton.' It’ll make you want to stand on your seat and yell with delight.”

“'Hamilton' is a captivating mirror of the man whose life it surveys: blazingly original, restlessly innovative, magnetic from start to finish...The intense pride you feel on an evening such as this, when America’s story is retold with such style, verve and imagination, is not of a sort that’s come by easily on Broadway. There’s a magnitude of joy summoned here that suggests that King George is absolutely right. You most certainly will want to be back.”

“Every great musical improves on second (and third, and fourth) hearing; 'Hamilton' is no exception. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s magnificent adaptation is not, to use that tired cliché, a game-changer. It is, in truth, the quintessence of a Broadway musical destined for the record books...Like 'Rent' 20 years ago and 'A Chorus Line' 40 years so, 'Hamilton' is accessible without pandering and inspirational in sneaky ways that permeate a skeptic’s shell.”

“Revolutions are messy, sudden, often brutal things. They're not meant to mature gracefully. Thankfully, no one told the creators of the pulsating 'Hamilton,' which arrives on Broadway sharper, tighter and cleaner than just a few months ago....It's all like nothing you've ever heard or seen before. In one song, the main ladies sing euphorically, 'Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now! History is happening in Manhattan.' We couldn't agree more.”

“Lin-Manuel Miranda has turned a Founding Father’s largely forgotten narrative into one of the most joyful, kinetic, and extravagantly original musicals ever imagined for the stage...The play’s intrigue comes mostly from its potent stew of friendship and romance and outsize ambition; it’s as if 'House of Cards' were folded into a sort of 'Days of Our Colonial Lives' fever dream, then filtered through the minds of Tupac and Sondheim. It’s that strange and that spectacular, and you’d be crazy to miss it.”

“With 'Hamilton,' Broadway is officially the coolest place on the planet. And the smartest. And most exhilarating. Yes, composer, lyricist, author and leading man Lin-Manuel Miranda’s magical musical tour of the life of the '10-dollar Founding Father,' Alexander Hamilton, is that great. It’s even richer and more eloquent since its run earlier this year at the Public Theater.”

“Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 'In the Heights' may have been a hit — but his 'Hamilton' is a phenomenon...But “revolutionary” the show is not. Truly radical art is divisive, and under its brash exterior, 'Hamilton' is warmly reassuring — a love letter to a land of opportunity where 'The 10-dollar founding father without a father/Got a lot farther by working a lot harder/By being a lot smarter/By being a self-starter.'””

“There has been nothing on Broadway in the past 20 years to rival the riveting, exhilarating and haunting 'Hamilton,' its vitality and ingenuity fully intact...American musicals have long combined social criticism with unabashed romance, a sharp eye with an open heart. Watching that tradition move boldly forward in 'Hamilton,' a fan can't help but feel a little pride.”

“The Founding Father never had a friend so loyal and true as Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose audaciously ambitious and supremely executed new musical is surely the most entertaining, provocative and moving civics lesson in Broadway history...Many of the songs are quite staggeringly beautiful — richly melodic and passionately performed ballads of fear, hope, determination and pain. They feel traditional and revolutionary at the same time.”

“As with 'In The Heights', Miranda's ear-popping material kinetically fuses with the exemplary work of director Thomas Kail to explosively tell the story of a man considered one of the first quintessential New Yorkers - a poor immigrant with radical ideas who pushed his way to prominence for the betterment of society.”

““In telling the story of the Founding Father...Miranda found several ways to unfold the larger history of the early years of the American experiment...The 2019 cast is a revelation, though perhaps somewhat double-edged...Perhaps the memory of the original cast will fade. Perhaps the new leads will grow into their roles. But one of the things...‘Hamilton’ on Broadway made clear...is that the replacement cast members don’t have to give star quality performances for the show to shine.””

“With a refreshing book, profoundly innovative music that includes hip-hop, jazz, blues, R&B, and Broadway, and scintillating lyrics, 'Hamilton' exceeds all expectations of theatergoers and rocks the stage with engaging performances and exhilarating choreography...The diverse cast is uniformly outstanding and brilliant...Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography is innovative and precise.”

“This show is so special and unlike anything we have ever seen on Broadway...What strikes me is that it is so commercially successful, but before it was popular it was extremely well written and artistic. It is rare that these combine in a musical...'Hamilton' has shown the next generation of composers that you can write something intelligent with artistic merit and still sell tickets.”

“I was intoxicated by 'Hamilton', exquisitely directed by Thomas Kail...It has an energy, a beat, a rhythm, and a rebelliousness that swept me up and kept me thoroughly engaged and enchanted. It’s a powerhouse three-hour telling of this pushy historical figure...Act One is an adrenaline-fueled history lesson in politics, war, revolution and love but Act Two is the clincher, which gives this show its emotional core and depth. It is truly amazing what Miranda has done here.”

“With Kail's clever direction and Blankenbuhler's athletic choreography, 'Hamilton's' large cast embodies a bloody war, heated political rivalries, and the outright joy of starting a new nation...Miranda's score is a triumph by itself with a wide range of influences and some of the best lyric writing seen yet this century...The modernity of the production is refreshing and prescient—we might actually be entering a new era of musical theatre.”

““'Hamilton' is still a perfect 10!...This tuneful sampling is a brilliant reflection of the spirit of revolution and renewal that 'Hamilton' (and the period it depicts) represents...'Hamilton,' under Thomas Kail’s direction of the no-less than brilliant cast and with Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography for the excellent ensemble of 'back-up' dancers and players, is the most entertaining history lesson ever devised. 'Hamilton' is no less than genius!”

“Would 'Hamilton' really live up to the hype? The evening I went, there was electricity in the air. A great sense of excited anticipation. And when the lights dimmed, before the first note was sung, the audience began to cheer. Does 'Hamilton' live up to all of this? Well, yes, it actually does...Even though 'Hamilton' is nearly three hours long, it does not feel tedious...As soon as 'Hamilton' ended, I wanted to see it again. Now, that is the way to kick off a Broadway season.”

““‘Hamilton’ does for the American Revolution what ‘Les Miserables’ does for French 19th century history. However, its contemporary sound turns ‘Hamilton’ into a theatrical revolution that is just short of titanic. From the expert cast to the impeccable design team to the splendid score and text, ‘Hamilton’ makes musical theater history. Just a warning: don’t come tired! ‘Hamilton’ is fast moving and jam-packed with information. You will want all your faculties about you.””

“Director Thomas Kail keeps the story moving along with fluid precision and at an exhausting, nonstop pace at all times. The fusion of direction and choreography complement each other in the frenetic goings-on in this nearly three-hour, monumental show. 'Hamilton' has truly started a Broadway revolution and will continue to influence the American musical theater for years to come.”