Review: HAMILTON at Ohio Theatre

Before the lights fade and the curtain parts on HAMILTON at the Ohio Theatre, the audience receives a message from King George (Peter Matthew Smith) reminding them to shut off their cell phones and to enjoy "MY show."

Perhaps that is the charm of this national touring group's production of HAMILTON. While the show is titled HAMILTON, the two-act musical consists of so much more than the title character. Don't misunderstand me, Edred Utomi is mesmerizing as the "$10 founding father." (We'll get to him in a second.)

However, it is the extremely talented side players that complete Lin-Manuel Miranda's masterpiece and make it worth seeing over again. HAMILTON will be performed Oct. 4-22 at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State Street in downtown Columbus).

HAMILTON regales the story of Alexander Hamilton, the founder of the national treasury and George Washington's righthand man during the Revolutionary War and Washington's presidency.

Utomi is captivating while exposing his character to be nearly as flawed as he is driven, infamous as he is famous. In "Farmer Refuted," Utomi's confrontation with king loyalist Samuel Seabury (Patrick Garr) is amusing. The two stand toe-to-toe but Seabury keeps turning direction to get away from Hamilton's in-your-face verbal onslaught. Utomi is a ball of hyperactivity, leaping three feet into the air during "My Shot" and mocking Thomas Jefferson's gambol in the second act. However, (spoiler alert), after his son Phillip dies in the second act, Utomi's Hamilton slows down as if he is weighed down by his grief and guilt.

Hamilton is flanked on either side by his love interest Eliza (Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama) and his frenemy Aaron Burr (Josh Tower). Yokoyama completes Eliza's emotional arc from smitten to grief stricken to betrayed to forgiving. Her beautiful reading on "Burn," in which Eliza sets fire to love notes Hamilton has sent her, and the reconciliation ballad "It's Quiet Uptown" are two of the show's many highlights.

Tower brings life to Burr, who goes from Hamilton's mentor to competitor to eventually his murderer. Burr is a complex character, who continually is one-upped by Hamilton. Tower conveys Burr's multifaceted feelings of admiration and detestation for his rival. Their duets on "Theodosia" exposes the similarities of the two as they become fathers. An act later, "Your Obedient Servant" captures a simmering pot of annoyance between the two that is about to boil over.

Outside of those three leads, the only three actors who remain in the same roles throughout the play are Stephanie Umoh (Angelica), Paul Oakley Stovall (George Washington), and Smith (King George). Umoh handles the density of Angelica with confidence and ease as she bounces from the haughtiness and cool confidence of "The Schuyler Sisters," the regret and self-examination of "Satisfied" and the heartache of "Quiet Uptown."

Stovall brings a cool confidence and dignity to Washington, the only character that Hamilton is submissive to. On the flip side of Washington, Smith's King George is the show's much-needed comic relief to this brooding musical. George, the only character who has three complete solo songs, was clearly the crowd favorite. The laughter started even before Smith began to sing. He even got applause for his pre-show announcement.

Much of the cast's roles morphs from one character to another in the two acts. Yana Perrault, who played Peggy, the overlooked Schuyler sister, in the first act, alters her appearance and her demure attitude in the second. She doffs her Peggy wig and slips into the role of the silky-smooth seductress Maria Reynolds for "Say No to This."

All of the actors who play Hamilton's lieutenants in the first act also change into new roles in the second. In a flash, David Park sheds his skin from being the boisterous Lafayette to the pompous and guileful Thomas Jefferson in the second. Park oozes charisma in his introduction as Jefferson in "What Did I Miss?" His snake-like charm as the scheming third President makes him the darling of the second half. One of the subtleties of Lin-Manuel Miranda's script is after Hamilton convinces Washington to draft a statement of neutrality in regard to the French Revolution, Jefferson hisses, "Have you forgotten Lafayette?"

Also transforming in the second act are Tyler Belo, who goes from the loud-mouthed Hercules Mulligan to the mousy James Madison in the second act, and Jon Viktor Corpuz, who alters from the doomed John Laurens to the equally doomed Phillip Hamilton. The last time I saw HAMILTON, the actor who played Phillip, was over six-feet tall and towered over Hamilton, making it nearly impossible to believe he was just nine years old. This time, it is much more believable.

Each one of those characters could carry a show on his or her own shoulders and yet, they are all mixed together in this perfect melting pot of a musical. Hmmmm, that sounds like it could be a metaphor for something bigger. Whether you are making a musical or building a country, it takes a wide variety of characters to make it work perfectly.

Tickets for HAMILTON are still available for its Oct. 4-22 run at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St, downtown Columbus). Patrons are advised to check the official HAMILTON channels at www.CBUSArts.com, 614-469-0939, or in-person at the CBUSArts Ticket Center at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) for late release seats which may become available at short notice.

HAMILTON LOTTERY

Producer Jeffrey Seller and PNC Broadway in Columbus announced a digital lottery for HAMILTON tickets will begin in conjunction with the show's first performance on Tuesday, October 4 in Columbus at the Ohio Theatre. A limited number of tickets will be available for every performance for $10 each. The lottery will first open at 10:00 AM Friday, September 23 and will close at 12:00 PM September 29 for tickets to performances October 4-9. Subsequent digital lotteries will begin on each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week's performances.

Use the official app for HAMILTON, now available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store (http://hamiltonmusical.com/app).

The lottery will open at 10:00 AM every Friday and will close for entry at 12:00 PM the next Thursday prior to the following week's performances. Winner and non-winner notifications will be sent between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM every Thursday for the upcoming week's performances via email and mobile push notification. Winners will have two hours to claim and pay for their ticket(s).

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