The wait is over! HAMILTON officially got its London premiere tonight (21 December 2017) at the West End's Victoria Palace Theatre. We're rounding up the reviews as they come in. Do Brits get it? Here's what critics are saying so far...
The Independent - ★★★★★
Paul Taylor: Miranda’s synthesis of the historical material is phenomenal, as is his supple control of the diverse musical idioms. Two eras train light on each other here and, at its best, the show creates the impression that it is not merely dramatising Hamilton’s revolution but, in its artistic choices and spirit, is carrying it forward. .
The Guardian - ★★★★★
Michael Billington: What is astonishing is how well the form fits the subject: Miranda’s use of rap, hip-hop and R&B becomes the ideal vehicle for exploring the birth of a nation. And while Hamilton is the story’s pivot, he is also part of a musical that, like the nation itself, seems in perpetual motion.
The Stage - ★★★★★
Tim Bano: Hamilton is a touchstone. It’s zeitgeist, youthquake, Momentum, it’s woke, it’s post-musical. From masculinity, power struggles and the small things on earth, it metastasises into a crying epic about legacy, principle, nations, all the incredible mongrel people within those nations, and how all those people – every single one – can change the world..
Time Out - ★★★★★
Andrzej Lukowski: But what’s great is that in the room where it happens you don’t think about any of that. Whether or not ‘Hamilton’ is the best musical of our generation – it clearly is, but whatever – it’s been a hit for the only reason anything is a hit: because it is a great work of entertainment..
Exeunt Magazine
Bridget Minamore: In so many ways, Hamilton is a fantastic piece of musical theatre. Engaging and enriching, unafraid to tug on heartstrings and often very, very funny, Hamilton just works.
There Ought To Be Clowns
Ian Foster: Hell yes, this is an extraordinary cast getting the chance to shine in extraordinary ways...capturing the all the musical shifts of Miranda's score as if they've been rapping musical theatre all their lives.
oughttobeclowns.blogs...
LondonTheatre.com - ★★★★★
Mark Shenton: What's left to be said about that's not already been said? One of the questions the show asks is precisely who the storytellers are of our personal and collective histories.
London Theatre 1 - ★★★★★
Chris Omaweng: Hamilton is an extraordinary show with a diverse and talented company. I was encouraged and exhilarated by this slick, energetic and relentlessly compelling musical.
Variety - ★★★★★
Matt Trueman: Hamilton lands on the London stage looking every inch the classic. It’s Miranda’s score that sings, his lyrics that land and Hamilton’s story that stirs. London’s going to love it.
Evening Standard - ★★★★★
Henry Hitchings: With its fresh take on the politics of opportunism Hamilton feels sharply topical...this is an extraordinarily uplifting vision of people from society’s margins becoming big-hitters.
Rewrite This Story - ★★★★★
Olivia Mitchell: Thanks to the power and brilliance of the London cast...the entire company pump in soul, heart and skill to the glorious narrative created by Miranda, Alex Lacamoire and director, Thomas Kail.
The Play's The Thing
Laura Kressly: It’s simultaneously epic and intimate, staged surprisingly simply with striking, sculptural choreography and utterly engaging throughout...boldly reclaims the all-white, founding father narrative.
Broadway World - ★★★★★
Marianka Swain: It's just a blisteringly great night out: universally thrilling entertainment.. And - what joy - it's not just about the guys, as Miranda gives plenty of space to the politically aware Schuyler sisters. .
Telegraph - ★★★★★
Dominic Cavendish: I have to report that it really is as good as we’ve been told - it displays an artistic sophistication that makes most of its British counter-parts look like they’re mumbling into their shoes in comparison.
TheatreCat - ★★★★★
Libby Purves: The dancing is explosive...every change of mood is perfect...so closely observant, about the human qualities that make politics work. It’s exciting, it’s redemptive, it’s human and serious and funny. It’s wonderful. Believe the hype.
Radio Times - ★★★★★
Tony Peters: There are lots of shows with good songs. Hamilton is much more than that: it’s a game-changer. It’s a vital, revolutionary work that raises the musical theatre bar in the way Show Boat and West Side Story did in their day.
VictoriaSadler.com
Victoria Sadler: Hamilton is extraordinary. In every way. From the music to the message, from the cast to each element of its creation. Weaving passion with politics with both love and fury. I am in awe, I am a convert.
Times - ★★★★★
Ann Treneman: This musical is history in the remaking and I mean that quite literally. It arrives as if astride a runaway horse, stampeding towards us with the news that the past need no more be male, pale and stale.
PleaseMindTheBlog- ★★★★★
Debbie Gilpin: The choice of genre works absolutely brilliantly - you also can’t ignore the fact that it’s bound to engage with a new audience, and perhaps get more people interested in theatre..
pleasemindtheblog.wor...
Mirror - ★★★★★
Mikey Smith: Only a few Broadway shows become a hit - and just a handful ever grow into a phenomenon. Unlikely though it sounds, Hamilton is going to here for a very long time.
The Hollywood Reporter
Demetrios Matheou: Hamilton has a breadth of ambition and a theatrical exuberance that take the breath away. In response, many in the 1,500-strong audience on press night could barely contain themselves.
