Lin-Manuel Miranda’s awe-inspiring masterpiece of a musical has arrived for a three-month stint in Manchester and it’s unlike anything you’ll have ever seen before.
As an avid Hamilton fan for the past seven years, my expectations for the show were exceptionally high and I’m happy to say that it 100% lived up to the ‘hype’.
The cast were just superb right from the get go, with particular star-making performances from Billy Nevers in the role of Marqius de Lafayette and Maya Britto as Eliza.
Billy was clearly having the time of his life playing his double roles of Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, he truly captured the audiences hearts and made everyone in the theatre roar with laughter throughout the duration of the show - coming close to completely stealing the show at multiple points, with his immaculate comedic timing and hilarious attitude & clicks.
In a show full of brilliant voices, it was Maya who stole the singing honours as Hamilton’s doting wife and passionate champion of his work. The sheer emotion in her Burn performance was heart-breaking, with a perfect combination of vulnerability and strength.
Shaq Taylor was also an absolute winner as Alexander Hamilton, capturing every emotion and never missing a single note or word, while still adding his own unique flourish to the performance yet not taking away from the original, much-loved character.
For such a ubiquitous show, I was under the impression that the role of Hamilton may be a difficult one to fill the shoes of however Shaq flawlessly held his own and was a perfect fit for the role - making it almost impossible to keep your eyes off him every moment he was on stage.
The choreography, set and lighting were all brilliant - it was visually, technically and creatively stunning. I adored the simplicity of the ensemble's costumes and found the use of the moving stage to be absolutely incredible - working especially well in musical numbers that travelled through time or consisted of a 'flashback', like in Satisfied.
There are so many things I could say about this show, it truly was an unreal experience - so don't throw away your shot and head down to The Palace Theatre, where you can watch Hamilton until February 24.
