Review: HAMILTON, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? Hamilton, one of the most quotable musicals has made its Scottish premiere at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. 

Hamilton is a sung-through musical that tells the story of often-overlooked founding father Alexander Hamilton (played by Shaq Taylor). With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the style of the show is rap and hip-hop and if that's not your thing, you're in for a very long evening. 

The stage setting is sparse as the story details Hamilton's involvement in the American Revolutionary War, his career in law and his marriage and family life. The plot is historically accurate which makes for an educational but not particularly gripping watch.

There are a few things to like about Hamilton, Howell Binkley's lighting design is great and Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography can be really impressive. Performance-wise, Maya Britto's Eliza is sublime and Daniel Boys' King George provides some much-needed humour. There are strong performances throughout but the nature of the songs means that lyrics aren't always clear and much of the storyline can get lost. This also reduces the impact of scenes that are meant to be quite emotional. 

There are a couple of standout musical numbers, "My Shot" and "Burn" are the ones you're most likely to be thinking of after the show.

Hamilton has been a sellout phenomenon for many years and looks likely to be for some time. It was extremely well received by the Edinburgh audience who were attentive throughout. 

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

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