REVIEW: Hamilton - mesmerisingly brilliant theatre

Hamilton has been sitting on our theatrical horizons for 16 months. The expectations were huge. Tonight’s performance exceeded every single one of them.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece really is theatre as thrilling and as compelling as theatre gets – theatre which ticks every single box. Who would have thought that this particular slice of American history could be as interesting as this? Yet the production brings it mesmerisingly alive.

There is so much to love about the show, not least the incredible flow of Miranda’s lyrics, every one of which is seemingly a trip hazard especially given the speed of their delivery. Yet the cast utter them with total fluency. Fabulous too is the sheer look of it all, the costumes, the colours, the set, and above all the sheer energy of the performances, all so beautifully lit.

Hamilton famously is the story of perhaps the most unsung – until now – of America’s founding fathers, and Marley Fenton captures him superbly in all his complexity, the immigrant, the scrapper, the man who gets things done but who makes enemies even more easily than he makes friends. Ferociously driven, he has huge vision but makes tragic mistakes, compromises himself morally and makes the most awful miscalculation. Fenton delivers it all with huge skill and conviction.

Opposite him, matching him every step of the way, is a stunning performance from Billy Nevers as Aaron Burr, his nemesis, the villain of the piece who tells us right at the start what he’s going to do and then challenges us to understand just how incredibly aggravating Hamilton has been across their thirty years of rivalry. At every turn, in his view, Hamilton thwarts him, in his words, poisoning his political pursuits. Nevers is quite brilliant in the part, filling it full of unexpected nuance, wonderfully expressive and completely commanding.

Superb too from Roshani Abbey as Eliza, married to a ridiculously difficult husband. The song she sings when she learns of his infidelity might just be the night’s highlight.

But then again, the songs are all highlights in their way, not a duff one amongst them, especially when they are delivered in the way they were delivered tonight.

Chasity Crisp is excellent as Angelica; Ashley J Daniels doubles brilliantly as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson: and Louis Maskell offers the perfect comic turn as King George. Put it all together and it’s a phenomenal night at the theatre.