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Hamilton

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Four stars

 

“Immigrants,” West Indies born Alexander Hamilton and French émigré the Marquiss de Lafayette freestyle in unison in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s globe trotting hip-hop history musical. “We get things done.” American history has gone wild in the nine years since Miranda’s show came rhyming onto the stage like an old-skool block party on a grand scale. As Thomas Kail’s production arrives in Edinburgh for a two-month stint as part of its UK tour, Hamilton still possesses some of the unbridled optimism the Barack Obama era brought with it.

 

Here, after all, is the American dream writ large, as ‘bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman’ Hamilton hustles his way to power after arriving in eighteenth Century New York. Ushered into society by Sam Oladeinde’s Aaron Burr, who acts as MC, rival and eventually killer, Shaq Taylor’s Hamilton wants to be number one. As he networks all the big hitters,  words are his weapons, as he winds up in a double act of sorts with George Washington.

 

As battles both personal and political commence, each musical number explodes onto David Korins’ vast wood lined set in a lavish swirl of choreographed pop video cosplay, with frock coats and jodhpurs to the fore in Andy Blankenbuehler’s routines. Cabinet showdowns between Hamilton and Billy Nevers’ manic Jefferson become rap battles, with mic drop moments galore. And when Hamilton’s son Philip sets out to defend his old man’s honour, the beef is settled with guns, just like the one between Hamilton and Burr, both with tragic results. 

 

In execution and flow, Kail’s production never stands still for a second. Miranda’s compositions tap into the more commercial end of hip-hop with a ton of reference points in Alex Lacamoire’s crystal clear arrangements. If Hamilton’s romantic dalliances are closer to soap opera schmaltz, King George’s numbers – delivered with gleeful malevolence by Daniel Boys -  tap into more predictable showtune bubblegum. This makes for an exhilarating reclaiming of history that combines roots, rap and revolution with delirious abandon.


The Herald, March 7th 2024

 

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