THE SHOW HEARD ROUND THE WORLD: Daveed Diggs (center) as Thomas Jefferson & ensemble in the revolutionary blockbuster musical ‘Hamilton’. Photo: Joan Marcus

HAMILTON
Music, book & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler
Inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Directed by Thomas Kail
Richard Rodgers Theatre
226 West 46th Street
(877-250-2929), http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Once or twice in a decade, a Broadway show comes along that is so innovative and unprecedented that it changes the American musical theater as we know it. In the 1990s, it was Rent. Nearly five years ago, it was the irreverent The Book of Mormon. In 2015, the game-changing musical is, without question, the blockbuster Hamilton, which recently transferred to Broadway after a sold-out run downtown at the Public Theater.

Indeed, Alexander Hamilton is mostly known to Americans for being on the $10 bill because he was one of the founding fathers of the United States. Unless one is an American history buff, we forget that Hamilton was chief state aide to George Washington, advocate of the U.S. Constitution, founder of the U.S. financial system, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and founder of the world’s first voter-based political system, the Federalist Party, and more. Most know the stories of the other founding fathers of our nation, but not Hamilton, and the true genius of this show is how music, lyric and book writer Lin-Manuel Miranda used Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton as the basis for the story and created a theatrical masterpiece. Mr. Miranda has taken what’s normally considered a dry subject, early American history, and turned it into an entertaining epic that appeals to the masses of all ages. Yes, the chronology of events in the American Revolutionary War are all here, but Mr. Miranda adds depth and complexity to everyone from George Washington (Christopher Jackson) to Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs). There hasn’t been a Broadway musical with this much youthful magnetism and solid storytelling in many moons.

Hype has surrounded this show ever since it debuted at the Public this past winter. Hamilton has been the hottest ticket in town and one has not been able to go online or open a newspaper or magazine without reading some blurb singing its praises in the past six months. The hoopla is all justified, because from the two opening numbers, “Alexander Hamilton” (an expository song that sums up the man’s early life) and “My Shot” in Act I, Hamilton at first seems more like a seamless, energetic pop music concert than a Broadway musical, but in essence there is really nothing gimmicky going on at all. Yes, there are hip-hop and pop-style songs, but also many beautiful ballads and more traditional show tunes, all of which propel the story forward exquisitely. Mr. Miranda has also created an intricate historical epic that unfolds with rapid-fire energy and never lets up. It is completely unlike any of Mr. Miranda’s previous efforts, namely In the Heights, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2008.

We learn all the biographical details about Alexander Hamilton, the illegitimate son of a Scotsman and a prostitute born in the Caribbean, to his journey to America and how he helped the other founding fathers create the new USA after the Revolutionary War, but we also learn about Hamilton’s clashes with the third Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr (Mr. Odom, Jr.), in the show-stopping song “The Room Where It Happens,” a number so infectious that it could easily be released as a pop song on the radio. The same holds true for George Washington’s ballad “One Last Time.” As Hamilton, Mr. Miranda’s performance is consistently solid, sincere and convincing, even if he’s not always the most dynamic performer on the stage.

Stage and TV star Jonathan Groff is a true scene-stealer as Mad King George III, America’s last monarch. Taking over the role originated Off Broadway at the Public by Brian d’Arcy James, Mr. Groff, clad in his huge regal crown and full king regalia, holding an imperial scepter, portrays the king as a petulant buffoon, seeing the revolting colonists as naughty, wayward children as he belts out such songs as “You’ll Be Back” with amusing, snarky aplomb.

The women in Hamilton’s life are just as influential, showing how they, too, made a difference in the early days of our nation. Renee Elise Goldsberry, as Angelica Schuyler, the sister of Hamilton’s wife, is especially moving whenever she sings “Satisfied” in her soaring voice. Phillipa Soo is equally outstanding as Eliza, Hamilton’s wife, a woman who petitioned Congress to publish her husband’s writings. Whenever Ms. Goldsberry and Ms. Soo sing, they bring down the proverbial house. Ms. Soo is absolutely haunting when singing “Burn,” a ballad about the pain of being Hamilton’s long-suffering wife.

Director Thomas Kail keeps the story moving along with fluid precision and at an exhausting, nonstop pace at all times. Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography is graceful and marvelously stylized; 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.

GEORGE WASHINGTON: Christopher Jackson & ensemble in ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

GREAT WOMEN OF THE NEW AMERICAN NATION: Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldberry & Jasmine Cephas Jones in ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

MAD KING GEORGE III: Jonathan Groff as America’s last monarch. Photo: Joan Marcus

AARON BURR: Leslie Odom, Jr. in ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

ELIZA & ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Phillipa Soo & Lin-Manuel Miranda. Photo: Joan Marcus

THOMAS JEFFERSON: Daveed Diggs in ‘Hamilton.’

AARON BURR & CO: Leslie Odom, Jr. & ensemble in ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE ‘RENT’ & ‘BOOK OF MORMON’ OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM TEENS: The cast of the monster hit ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Video montage from Hamilton

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 15, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on August 13, 2015

The post ‘Hamilton’: Start of the Broadway revolution appeared first on StageZine.

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Josh Young (center) and the cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

AMAZING GRACE
Book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron
Music and lyrics by Christopher Smith
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), http://www.amazinggracemusical.com/


By David NouNou

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be filthy rich? To have so much money that you can actually burn it? Well, if you see Amazing Grace, I guarantee you will get a sense of what it’s like to waste a lot of money (reportedly $16 million), both literally and figuratively.

I can only venture to say that no one on the production or the creative side has heard of such musicals as Scandalous or Leap of Faith and what their eventual outcome turned out to be. It’s truly “amazing” that there are still believers that would entrust millions of dollars to a novice song and book writer, Christopher Smith, a man who was once a policeman in Pennsylvania, had no training in writing any form of musical, and gave up his day job because he was inspired to write a musical about John Newton, the British slave trader and son of a captain of a slave ship, who in time became an abolitionist. John Newton ultimately found redemption and inspiration in writing the church hymn “Amazing Grace,” but the fact that this alone is the basis and title for a Broadway musical is absolutely mind numbing. If I had to bet on which of the two storylines had a better chance of success—the former about investing in a novice policeman and the arc of his story to write a musical—or the latter about John Newton, the wretch that was saved and wrote a hymn, I think you know which I would pick.

In all fairness to Amazing Grace, it is not dull like the dreary behemoth Dr. Zhivago from earlier this spring, or as sloppy as other religion-inspired musicals like Leap of Faith or Scandalous; those were aimless train wrecks that kept surprising you with their ineptness. However, there is a story here, be it ever so flimsy, but the saga is hackneyed, trite and full of clichés. There are no surprises here; piety oozes from every line. It is a musical “by the numbers,” you can anticipate what the scene is about, what will happen, what the song will imply, and you can second-guess the next scene before it takes place. Needless to say, one figures out the outcome of the show by Act I, Scene II.

John Newton (Josh Young) is a no-good English wastrel and son of a wealthy slave trader. His mother died at an early age and he has grown to rebel and resent his father, Captain Newton (Tom Hewitt). He has two people who believe in him: Thomas, his slave (the excellent Chuck Cooper) and his childhood sweetheart, Mary Catlett (Erin Mackey). At a slave auction that John runs behind his father’s back, both Abolitionists and Redcoats break up the proceedings. In the fray is Major Gray (Chris Hoch), who is smitten with Mary. On a drunken Christmas Eve, John is scuttled and sent on a slave ship to Africa by Major Gray, thus clearing the way to lure Mary away. Due to John’s surliness, his father doesn’t stop the proceedings and sends John to learn about the meaning of life the hard way. His trusted slave Thomas goes with him. Meanwhile, Mary, witnessing what goes on in the slave trades, joins the Abolitionists about the unfair treatment of the slaves. John’s slave ship is sunk off the coast of Africa and is captured by Princess Peyai (Harriet D. Foy) and gets treated by her the way he treated his slaves. Suddenly, a light bulb goes off and John sees the light and, as they say, the rest is history.

Mr. Smith, composer, lyricist and book writer, has set up his scenes and characters in the most predictable of fashions and given them message songs to sing about being “Truly Alive,” “I Still Believe” and seeing the light, all laden with piety. The intent may have been very sincere, but the results are stock scenes with stock characters in stock situations and are not aided at all by Gabriel Barre’s lackluster direction.

Josh Young, who gave a sterling performance in his Tony-nominated role of Judas in the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, has a fine tenor voice. Although he is the hero of the story, he doesn’t bring much to the scenes; he grouses and misbehaves in the beginning, sees his errors in the middle and finds salvation in the end. Oh, joy. Erin Mackay, who never gave up on John, is defiantly lovely throughout. Tom Hewitt redeems himself from his previous disaster, the Broadway musical adaptation of Dr. Zhivago; at least he can control his performance here. The best part of the show is Chuck Cooper, who always delivers a power-punch performance, this time as the slave Thomas/Pakuteh; as usual he’s imbued his character with dignity and grace, and his final scene is poignant indeed.

Since there are very few surprises to the storyline, I won’t do a spoiler alert. You’ll just have to sit through the show like I did to learn what the final song of the show is.

‘AMAZING GRACE’: (left to right) Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Tom Hewitt & Chris Hoch. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey & Laiona Michelle. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘Amazing Grace’: Chuck Cooper, Josh Young & company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘Amazing Grace’: Laiona Michelle & Rachael Ferrera. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey & Josh Young. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Josh Young. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 22, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on July 21, 2015

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