Review: HAMILTON at Keller Auditorium

Musical theatre's hottest ticket is back! The national tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda's HAMILTON is once again at Keller Auditorium, and it's just as much of a must-see as ever.

When HAMILTON first came out, it was, of course, nothing short of revolutionary - it was the first rap and hip hop musical to make it big on Broadway, earning a record number Tony nominations and many, many awards; it featured a cast of actors of color playing America's Founding Fathers; and, of course, it's about the Revolutionary War. Now that the hype about the first two of those things has died down, we can appreciate HAMILTON for what else it is - an all-around exquisite musical and a trailblazer for the new American musical canon.

When I first saw HAMILTON, I was caught up in the excitement of it all - the music! The novelty of the storytelling! This time, I was better able to recognize the artistry of the production as a whole - including Thomas Kail's direction and Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography (both won Tony's). I found myself frequently looking beyond the spotlight to what was happening in the background, not because the stars didn't bring it (they did), but because there's so much more to the complete picture - the movement, the physical juxtapositions between the characters, the way Howell Binkley's lighting design plays off of David Korins' scenic design and Paul Tazwell's costumes (Tony winners, all three). It's like when you stare at a painting long enough that your eyes start to wander from the main subject to the background, and then to the individual brushstrokes, and finally your brain puts it all together and you see it in a whole new way.

Donald Webber, Jr. is an excellent Aaron Burr, playing the show's villain like a tightly wound spring with slowly building tension. He is commanding both in the soft moments and when the tension finally causes the spring to break. In contrast to Webber's wide-ranging performance, Julius Thomas III is pretty chill as Hamilton - you can see why Burr hates him so much.

The Schuyler sisters also shine. As Eliza, Charlotte Mary Wen displays the full spectrum of life's passions, moving from a young thing in love ("Hopeless") to a woman scorned ("Burn"). And as Angelica, Marja Harmon, brilliantly executes what I consider to be one of the best scenes in all of musical theatre ("Satisfied").

Darnell Abraham fills the auditorium with his powerful bass as George Washington, and Rick Negron brings the perfect amount of sauciness to the role of King George.

Most things with a lot of hype fizzle out just as fast. HAMILTON has proven its staying power. Whether you're a first-timer or a superfan, you'll want to see the current tour. HAMILTON runs at the Keller through May 1. More details and tickets here: https://portland.broadway.com/shows/hamilton/

And if you want even more Lin-Manuel Miranda, FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME is currently running at Portland Center Stage.

Photo credit: Joan Marcus

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