Hamilton (NYC)

"Yes, it really is that good...I am loath to tell people to mortgage their houses and lease their children to acquire tickets to a hit Broadway show. But 'Hamilton,' directed by Thomas Kail and starring Mr. Miranda, might just about be worth it — at least to anyone who wants proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come." Full Review

"Yes, it's as incredible as everyone says....With his new musical, 'Hamilton,' Lin-Manuel Miranda has an eye on both. He's created a work sure to be enjoyed by generations to come, proudly drawing on America's past as a guiding light to the future. It unequivocally asserts that the revolutionary ideals of 1776 are still valid in 2015. It is nothing short of a masterpiece, destined to change Broadway forever." Full Review

"This innovative show is shaping up to be just as much of a phenomenon uptown, playing in a Broadway house with four times the seating capacity, and to a more traditional but no less enthusiastic audience. That universal appeal to crossover audiences is one unmistakable sign of a groundbreaking show...Like any true landmark, 'Hamilton' stands up to repeated viewings. After six months, the show’s initial impact hasn’t dulled a bit; in fact, the qualities that made it so extraordinary the first... Full Review

"I was intoxicated by 'Hamilton', exquisitely directed by Thomas Kail...It has an energy, a beat, a rhythm, and a rebelliousness that swept me up and kept me thoroughly engaged and enchanted. It’s a powerhouse three-hour telling of this pushy historical figure...Act One is an adrenaline-fueled history lesson in politics, war, revolution and love but Act Two is the clincher, which gives this show its emotional core and depth. It is truly amazing what Miranda has done here." Full Review

"What is left to say? After every critic in town (including me) praised the Public Theater world premiere to high heaven; and after seeing this language-drunk, rhyme-crazy dynamo a second time, I can only marvel: They used up all the damn words. Wait, here are three stragglers, straight from the heart: I love 'Hamilton.' I love it like I love New York, or Broadway when it gets it right. And this is so right." Full Review

"'Hamilton' joins the ranks of great American musicals...Considered as an American musical dealing directly with Americana an argument could eventually be made for 'Hamilton' as the nation’s greatest musical...If a musical even close in quality to this one emerges this season, we’re lucky. If a musical even close in quality emerges in the next 10 years, we’d better count our lucky stars." Full Review

"I must confess that I gave one of the less enthusiastic reviews of 'Hamilton' back in February, finding the plot to be too dense (it is, after all, a biography) and the hip-hop sound to be monotonous. On second viewing, I was determined to accept the show on its own terms, and I ended up being absolutely entranced by Miranda's inventive writing, Thomas Kail's masterful direction and Andy Blankenbuehler's nonstop movement. I may be the last critic to join the 'Hamilton' fan club, but better l... Full Review

"It was phenomenal off-Broadway. It's even better now. 'Hamilton' is that rare musical that fires on all cylinders, even ones we never knew existed...In a sense, the collective talents of this bravura company pay homage to Broadway's founding fathers - and mothers - by pushing the envelope on an artform that at best, teaches us, enlightens us and entertains us like nothing else." Full Review

"'Hamilton' is a captivating mirror of the man whose life it surveys: blazingly original, restlessly innovative, magnetic from start to finish...The intense pride you feel on an evening such as this, when America’s story is retold with such style, verve and imagination, is not of a sort that’s come by easily on Broadway. There’s a magnitude of joy summoned here that suggests that King George is absolutely right. You most certainly will want to be back." Full Review

"There has been nothing on Broadway in the past 20 years to rival the riveting, exhilarating and haunting 'Hamilton,' its vitality and ingenuity fully intact...American musicals have long combined social criticism with unabashed romance, a sharp eye with an open heart. Watching that tradition move boldly forward in 'Hamilton,' a fan can't help but feel a little pride." Full Review

"It’s even better than I remembered. 'Hamilton' is something entirely new to Broadway. And also something entirely old...You’ll leave 'Hamilton' humming. And teary-eyed. And in awe that someone – Lin-Manuel Miranda in this case – can conceive of, write, and star in something so moving, so compelling, so…well, genius." Full Review

"With the delirious praise swirling around 'Hamilton' since its Public Theater run, there was danger that Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop masterwork would seem anticlimactic - or at least overhyped - at its Broadway premiere. Instead, the show is even more nuanced, more cohesive in individual performances and its more focused finale. Most important, Miranda and director Thomas Kail have fine-tuned it without losing a shiver of its audacity and thrill." Full Review

"The first question critics usually consider when a hit off-Broadway show moves to Broadway is whether it works as well in a larger space. 'Hamilton' does. Emphatically...It’s an event that hasn’t been over-hyped. The show is spectacularly unique, an endlessly clever history lesson that links us to the country’s Founding Fathers in an ingenious and compelling theatrical way...There are probably a half-dozen more things I could rave about, but, essentially, 'Hamilton' is just a really, really ... Full Review

"What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this lauded new musical, perhaps the best this art form has seen in decades? It lives up to the hype. It is indeed brilliant...Composer, lyricist, and star Lin-Manuel Miranda seamlessly blends musical theater and hip hop in a wholly original way...'Hamilton' is as epic as 'Les Mis' and as relevant as a Jay Z album. It is nothing less than revolutionary." Full Review

"Miranda’s sweeping, largely sung-through musical about Alexander Hamilton, an orphan who became George Washington’s right-hand man, took on a second life as a master class in musical theater creation...Miranda’s music and lyrics are too textured to be absorbed in one sitting. Turns out, once you’ve gotten over the first wow, there’s plenty more wow to be uncovered." Full Review

"With Kail's clever direction and Blankenbuhler's athletic choreography, 'Hamilton's' large cast embodies a bloody war, heated political rivalries, and the outright joy of starting a new nation...Miranda's score is a triumph by itself with a wide range of influences and some of the best lyric writing seen yet this century...The modernity of the production is refreshing and prescient—we might actually be entering a new era of musical theatre." Full Review

"In his stylish and electrifying 'Hamilton,' Miranda fuses the immediacy and storytelling power of hip-hop and R&B with the revolutionary passions of a new nation heaving itself into existence... Arriving on Broadway burdened with the weight of expectation, having become a much-coveted ticket, 'Hamilton’ proves more than able to carry that weight. This musical is young, scrappy, hungry — and exhilarating." Full Review

"Would 'Hamilton' really live up to the hype? The evening I went, there was electricity in the air. A great sense of excited anticipation. And when the lights dimmed, before the first note was sung, the audience began to cheer. Does 'Hamilton' live up to all of this? Well, yes, it actually does...Even though 'Hamilton' is nearly three hours long, it does not feel tedious...As soon as 'Hamilton' ended, I wanted to see it again. Now, that is the way to kick off a Broadway season." Full Review

"This show is so special and unlike anything we have ever seen on Broadway...What strikes me is that it is so commercially successful, but before it was popular it was extremely well written and artistic. It is rare that these combine in a musical...'Hamilton' has shown the next generation of composers that you can write something intelligent with artistic merit and still sell tickets." Full Review

“'Hamilton' is still a perfect 10!...This tuneful sampling is a brilliant reflection of the spirit of revolution and renewal that 'Hamilton' (and the period it depicts) represents...'Hamilton,' under Thomas Kail’s direction of the no-less than brilliant cast and with Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography for the excellent ensemble of 'back-up' dancers and players, is the most entertaining history lesson ever devised. 'Hamilton' is no less than genius!" Full Review

"The question asked by many who see 'Hamilton' is whether it is worth the investment of time and money. This reviewer's answer, 'Absolutely!'" Full Review

“‘Hamilton’ does for the American Revolution what ‘Les Miserables’ does for French 19th century history. However, its contemporary sound turns ‘Hamilton’ into a theatrical revolution that is just short of titanic. From the expert cast to the impeccable design team to the splendid score and text, ‘Hamilton’ makes musical theater history. Just a warning: don’t come tired! ‘Hamilton’ is fast moving and jam-packed with information. You will want all your faculties about you.” Full Review

"When Hamilton opened Off-Broadway in February, I called it groundbreaking and breathtaking – and I was trying not to gush...Analyzing the importance of 'Hamilton' misses the main takeaway from the musical: It’s thrilling to watch. It seems always in motion, thanks to a creative team including director Thomas Kail, and especially choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, who keeps the sexy ensemble very busy. They help enhance what are some terrific performances." Full Review

"A second look suggests that something even more significant is going on. The breakthrough isn’t so much the incorporation of those contemporary genres; after all, Miranda already did that, throwing in Latin music to boot, in the charming 'In the Heights.' But 'Hamilton' not only incorporates newish-to-Broadway song forms; it requires and advances them, in the process opening up new territory for exploitation. It’s the musical theater, not just American history, that gets refurbished. And per... Full Review

"Having already become a cultural phenomenon in its off-Broadway premiere run earlier this year at the Public Theater, 'Hamilton' — written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously made a name for himself on Broadway with 'In the Heights' — seems a shoo-in for smash hit status and a slew of awards attention...The musical is a triumph." Full Review