| Saw HAMILTON on the West End, and the cast is terrific (long post) | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 03:42 pm EST 01/04/18 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 03:40 pm EST 01/04/18 | |
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| Got very lucky and saw the matinee of HAMILTON today. I'd previously seen the original B'way and the Chicago casts, and I'm happy to report that this production is in stunningly good hands. For starters, the ensemble. They're outdoing the Chicago company quite a bit; their dancing is astonishingly good. And their vocals sound excellent. From what I can tell, Gregory Haney is the only American in this cast, and he's been brought over from the B'way company as a swing and dance captain. The ensemble here is really, really good. The West End is clearly sitting on a wealth of talent. Within the principals, Obioma Ugoala's Washington made the biggest impact on me, initially. He's got the vocal power and gravitas to raise the stakes in all the right ways. Big powerful presence, gorgeous deep baritone, just everything you want in a Washington. By the time we get to act two, Jason Pennycooke's Jefferson absolutely steals the show, as he should. He's been nominated for an Olivier award before, and I'd be shocked if he doesn't win for this. A truly skilled dancer (and West End choreographer in his own right), Andy Blankenuehler has added some great new choreography for him during "What'd I Miss," including some showy steps which become a new visual comedy gag reference during the cabinet meetings. By the time we get deep into the second act, he turns in some excellent acting choices that feel very distinct from Daveed Diggs. A one of kind, excellent performance. Best in the show. Of the Schuyler sisters, this is the first cast I've seen where Eliza seems equally as interesting as Angelica. I've always felt that Eliza is terribly bland on the page, but Rachelle Ann Go's got some bite in her that really helps in the second act. This is also the first Angelica I've seen who 'codes' as black and urban, giving her rap sequences a grounded authenticity that feels natural and powerful; Rachel John has a wonderful warmth during "It's Quiet Uptown," and her takedown during "The Reynolds Pamphlet" is extra good. You feel her heart breaking. Christine Allado's Mariah Reynolds is so vocally strong that you'll be amazed she isn't a pop star in the UK. I'm kind of shocked that she isn't on a solo record contract. Her low notes have a Toni Braxton quality to them, and her upper belt is broad and gorgeous. Tarinn Callender honestly looks and sounds like he could be Okieriete Onaodowan's little brother; he absolutely nails his big Mulligan moment during "The World is Upside Down." Cleve September is frankly just wonderful as John Laurens / Phillip. His big scene in Act 2 was full of subtle choices. This cast clearly spent a lot of GOOD time in the rehearsal room, personalizing these roles to each performer. That said, I wasn't crazy about Jiles Terera as Aaron Burr. He's a definite pro with a whole lot of West End experience, but at this viewing I realized deeply how much of Burr's material is a straight up soliloquy, a monologue with a whole whole lot of exposition. Although Mr. Terera delivered the goods admirably, what makes Burr work is seeing how he feels about the events he's describing. And, of course, it's an actor's game to decide how much of Burr's opinion to give away, and at which moments. There are only a few opportunities to do some heavy lifting; Mr. Terera missed a lot of those chances to emotionally resonate with us. By the time we got to the duel, we really couldn't feel how Burr ever let it get to this point. His scene work with other actors is surprisingly good, though; he seems like a Meisener-trained actor who needs someone to react to. I saw Ash Hunter, who's the Hamilton alternate, and damn, he was good. The guy's bio is full of straight theater credits (as is Washington's, interestingly), so I was surprised at how great his voice was. Really good pitch, but more than any Hamilton I've seen, the guy's got GREAT flow as a rapper. He felt the most like an actual 'M.C.' of any Hamilton I've seen, which made "Hurricane" much more dynamic and vital than other Hamiltons I've seen. With the originals, there was never any doubt that Daveed Diggs was the best rapper onstage; not so here. In terms of changes, I caught very few. "Angelica, tell my wife John Adams doesn't have a real job anyway" has been changed to "the Vice President doesn't have a real job, anyway." I certainly don't have the choreography committed to memory, but there seemed to be a few touches here and there that intensified and strengthened key moments. (Then again, I must might not have noticed things before... is there normally an actor and actress portraying the actors in a play when Phillip calls up to the balcony to confront George Eaker? If so, I'd never noticed that.) But seeing any show this intricate will inevitably make you notice details you'd never seen before. And god, there are so many. Like how the lanterns above "Speechless" flicker brighter when Angelica says "It's like Ben Franklin with the key and the kite." The audience reactions were MUCH more polite / subdued than when I saw it in Chicago (which felt like a theater full of crazed teenagers doing all they could to contain their excitement). Maybe it's just the nature of the British to be more reserved, but it was hilarious that Michael Jibson as King George III was the only performer to receive entrance applause. As you'd imagine, they ate up his performance, but all of King George's observations on democracy resonate with a wonderful spin over here. The laughs were mostly tied to actor antics and choices, as opposed to the writing -- it was clear that this audience already knew the cast recording well. And as you might expect, references to New Jersey got much smaller laughs. I had the chance to see the show with a black date -- and I do feel I must note that he was the only black person we saw in a theater of 1,600 people. And that includes the front of house staff. I'm sure HAMILTON has a wonderfully cross-cultural appeal, especially in a city as hugely multi-national as London is, but whoever managed to score tickets to today's matinee were almost exclusively white people. (They are doing the same £10 daily lottery here as in NYC; I hope they also repeat NYC's program to have special performances for underprivileged city school kids.) I will say, for a country that is struggling with its own identity questions -- and opinions of whether or not welcoming immigrants will mean that England is no longer "English," -- it's stirring to hear applause for "immigrants... we get the job done." As the nation struggles with the implications of the Brexit, this story's revolutionary breakaway energy feels very timely. This show remains the singular greatest theater piece of our era, and the storytelling continues to grab me by the throat and shake me up inside. - GMB |
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| Link | Press clips: UK cast of HAMILTON (My Shot & Schuyler Sisters) |
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