Review: Don't Throw Away Your Shot to see HAMILTON in Vancouver this Month!

Vancouver has finally been blessed with the arrival of HAMILTON: An American Musical at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre! Playing from May 24th to June 19, this multiple award winning musical will grace audiences night after night all thanks to Broadway Across Canada. HAMILTON is like an exhilarating musical combining American history, catchy music, and rap. The musical tells the story of U.S. founding father and first secretary of treasury Alexander Hamilton. Highlighting his feud with Aaron Burr, his love with Eliza Schuyler, and relationships with other notable U.S. founding fathers, the musical is both educational and entertaining. As one of the hottest shows that people are dying to see at the moment, don't hesitate to snag a ticket to see the show this month!

Everything about the show was amazing. Between the actors, music, costumes, and choreography, the whole musical was very coherent and fitting with the story. HAMILTON was based on the book: "Alexander Hamilton", written by Ron Chernow and was brought to life by music and lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Out of everything, I have to say that the music was an absolute standout. I have seen HAMILTON multiple times and absolutely love the music; however, for someone listening and seeing the music for the first time, it is magical. I have to admit, it is easy to get taken away by music that you lose track of the story due to the fact that the show is mostly singing with seldom talking moments, but it is definitely easy to get back into it. Some of my personal favorites in the show were, "Alexander Hamilton," "The Schuyler Sisters," "Helpless," "Satisfied," "The Room Where It Happens," and "One Last Time." A lot of the songs involve large group numbers, with a large ensemble to compliment the leads. The choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler was truly outstanding. I found that the choreography really made the ensemble stand out. The large numbers were complex and intriguing making your eyes pan the stage in awe multiple times trying to catch everything at once. The scenic design by David Korins was very unique. The entire show takes place on a single stage with no change in background scenery. This allowed the actors, costuming, and props to shine with the different musical numbers. Paul Tazewell's costumes were magnificent with really interesting attention to detail. My favorite costumes were the dresses the Schuyler sister's wore. They were perfect for their debut number. Overall, the show as a whole was excellent and I would definitely recommend it and see it over and over again.

It was very refreshing to see the main cast add their own little twist to the character they were playing. After seeing the show multiple times, it was interesting to see the characters being played both the same and different. The cast was lead by Julius Thomas III as Alexander Hamilton who was charismatic, bold, and energetic. He played an excellent Alexander Hamilton who I could tell genuinely loved being on stage. Victoria Ann Scoven played his wife, Eliza Hamilton. She had a beautiful voice that fit perfectly with her character. During her performance of "Helpless" her mic was not loud enough making it hard to hear her, but this was thankfully fixed near the end of Act I. I thought that both Darnell Abraham (George Washington) and Paris Nix (Marquis de Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson) both had unique takes on their characters. It was a bit hard to understand what they were saying at times due to probably muffle from their mic and the loudness of the venue, however, they gave great performances otherwise. My standout performance was from Marja Harmon who played Angelica Schuyler. Her voice was so powerful and clear. "Satisfied" was the highlight of the show for me and I thought the execution of the song was perfect.

HAMILTON was a standout show and one of the best musicals to come to Vancouver. I would recommend the show to anyone, whether you are into history or not, this show is a must see. HAMITLON is playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver from May 24th to June 19, 2022. For tickets please click the button below!

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus 2021

To post a comment, you must register and login.