HAMILTON  at the Public Theater

(Seen March 1, 2015)


The theatre boasts a number of what we call "triple-threat" artists --- in this case, we have a quadruple threat:  book, music, lyrics --- and star!  This, of course, is Lin-Manual Miranda.

Miranda, of course, first came to theatre prominence with his musical IN THE HEIGHTS, in which he was also a featured member of the large cast.  But with HAMILTON,  he seems to have developed his talents to a new and highly successful level.

Musically, he blends old-fashioned melody with hip-hop, and uses both to great advantage.  And as an actor/singer, he leads a greatly talented cast, who all act/sing/dance appropriately, especially Phillipa Soo (who recently starred in NATASHA, PIERRE....).

Special mention must be made of Brian D'Arcy James, whose insets into the American saga, as King George, are delightful, both his stand-out performance and the clever writing.  The vignettes featuring James are gems of entertainment.

[ I find myself in the minority of reviewers of this show, because although I think this is a major musical achievement, I have some problems with all of our "founding fathers"  being either Black or Hispanic.  Though all the performances are excellent, I found the casting somewhat distracting.  But that no way lessens the impact of Miranda's accomplishments.]