When the Hamilton national tour first played in Milwaukee three years ago, ticket buyers lined up around the block of the show’s venue. Now, so much has happened in terms of American history – and the performing arts – that it seems like eons ago when Hamilton came to town.
This year brings a return of Hamilton as the first post-pandemic offering at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. This time around, ticket buyers no longer lined the streets enroute to the box office. In fact, the box office is often closed to walk-in customers, opening just a couple of hours before a Hamilton performance. Tickets that once came in the mail are now sent electronically to smart mobile phones.
Audiences still had to wait in outdoor lines prior to the performance, but now it was to check vaccination status. And everyone, vaccinated or not, was required to wear masks for a very, very long evening.
Once all the Covid protocols were adhered to, audience members were escorted by ushers to their seats, and an animated buzz could be heard in the auditorium. The set – fully visible to the crowd – seemed to be an exact replica of the one on Broadway, where Hamilton is again packing them in after reopening earlier this fall.
Hamilton is a brilliantly conceived production that never fails to dazzle, and this production didn’t disappoint. As was true three years ago, the cast was perfectly timed to deliver just the right line, the right note and the right movement, in a beautifully choreographed ballet depicting early American history. If anything, the show’s themes of isolation, freedom, hostility, betrayal, courage, diplomacy and love seemed even more in tune with the losses that Americans are feeling today.
In this tour, Alexander Hamilton is played by newcomer Edred Utomi. With youthful zest, Utomi lightens his character with humor and, occasionally, a few extra dance moves. His added dash of personality makes Aaron Burr (Josh Tower) seem even more bland than before. Still, Tower is visibly miffed by being shut out from “The Room Where It Happens.” Burr is downright petulant when stating that history will forever remember him (correctly) as “the damned fool” who shot Hamilton.
Like Utomi, Tower also lacks major Broadway credentials. With a couple of exceptions, the same can be said for the rest of the cast. While the Hamilton?em> cast that visited three years ago was more experienced, it wasn’t necessarily more exuberant than what is observed this time around.
In the tour that arrived in Milwaukee three years ago, the actor who played Hamilton (Joseph Morales) started playing his character much earlier; plus, Morales had also appeared in the Broadway production of Miranda’s previous Tony Award-winning musical, In the Heights.
Thankfully, Hamilton is so expertly crafted that many viewers may not have been aware of the cast’s inexperience. In a few cases, some of the lesser roles were not as strong as they could have been. Actor Tyler Belo, who plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, fits into this category.
On the other side of the coin, national tour veteran Paul Oakley Stovall Rent, Once On This Island demonstrates the prowess and diplomacy one would expect from his character, George Washington. Stovall is a tall, sturdy fellow who, as Washington, uses his physical attributes to bend others to his will. Even Alexander Hamilton seems unable to persuade Washington at first. A chagrined Hamilton is forced to become the general’s aide-de-camp before being put in charge of military troops.
Another stand-out in the cast is Bryson Bruce as both the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. The theater program notes that this tour marks Bruce’s “Equity debut,” and his characters are memorable. He sashays saucily as the impertinent de Lafayette, and later makes a grand entrance as Thomas Jefferson, motioning to the audience to cheer louder as he steps onstage.
With fewer “distractions” among the main cast, audience members had an opportunity to view the production more holistically. The ensemble in Hamilton is truly one of its greatest assets, performing the non-stop choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler. One ensemble member, Will T. Travis, particularly stands out. When not joining the rest of the chorus, he also appears briefly in several minor roles. These include: the Schuyler sisters’ father, James Reynolds (whose wife contributed to Hamilton’s downfall), and the Doctor who is necessarily present at the duels of both Alexander Hamilton and his son.
Although both duels are high points of the second act, they also trigger feelings of loss that may not be far from the audiences’ own personal losses. When Hamilton faces the prospect of death, he lingers over his last few moments of life, contemplating the pros and cons of life and death. It is unspoken (though clear from his musings) that Hamilton has seen many men lose their lives on the battlefield. He also considers those who await him “on the other side,” such as his beloved son and his mentor, George Washington.
Throughout the story of Hamilton, one is constantly reminded that Americans must band together to make democracy work. This is visibly reinforced in the show’s diverse casting. The story of America’s origins belongs to ALL Americans, not just a handful of white founding fathers. By stressing unity over special interests, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s speaks to us now more powerfully than ever.
Parental guidance: Some adult situations.
