Who lives, who dies, who tells the story of Alexander Hamilton?
The “Hamilton” touring cast does, and they do it well.
“Hamilton” is waiting on the stage for you at the Hobby Performing Arts Center in Houston, Texas. The touring cast will be in Houston through March, and here is why you should not wait to get your tickets and pass up the opportunity to be in the room where it happens.
The Hobby Center is a theater under the stars and “Hamilton” was everything but out of this world. If you have not yet heard of this musical phenomenon written by Lin Manual Miranda and co composed by Miranda and Alex Lacamoire, “Hamilton” is a musical that tells the story of immigrant Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, whose story is not usually told in history textbooks. It follows his journey of starting America, death of family and friends, scandal and political disagreements. The entire musical is completely sung and each song flows together. The songs range from heartfelt ballads to rap battles, but the transition is so seamless that the audience is constantly kept on the edge of their seats.
When I first went to see Hamilton, I expected to be disappointed in comparison to the original Broadway cast, but the touring leg exceeded my expectations. Zoe Jensen and Stephanie Umoh, who played Eliza and Angelica Schuyler, sounded almost identical to the original cast but they each had their own spin on their characters. Jensen’s rendition of “Burn” left the audience in tears and Umoh’s “Satisfied” left the audience’s hearts in a puddle on the floor. Alexander Hamilton played by Edred Utomi played the perfect scraggly, driven immigrant. Utomi was the perfect amount of quirky and genius.
The set was just as impressive as the performances on stage, and the whole time I was astounded by the geniuses that came up with the set design. The spinning stage made the characters on stage come to life and the ability of the ensemble to do acrobatics on a spinning set was beyond impressive. It made me recognize the talent one must have to be casted in a “Hamilton” musical production.
While “Hamilton” might not be the most historically accurate, it is still a must see for Americans as it gives the basics to how our country was founded through the story of Alexander Hamilton. There is not a moment on stage that is not jaw dropping. Many who do not like “Hamilton” have based their opinion on Disney+, but nothing compares to seeing Hamilton on stage. The whole experience, from the first to the last note, is a time-traveling experience. There’s a million things I could include about the Hamilton performance, but just you wait until you see it for yourself.