"Hamilton - 2023 Toronto Tour" The Magic is Still There

 


    Look, Hamilton is kind of peak musical to me so forgive me if this entire article just sounds like me gushing over it. It's just that this really is what made me fall in love with musicals in the first place, and can you blame me? Look, I was in grade 9 and just exploring my unrealized passion for theater, and this musical was the perfect starting point. It didn't sound too theatrical, and it was about a historical character I legitimately knew nothing about. Not to mention, unlike other musicals, the story is entirely within the songs, so it was easy to listen along and visualize it all, sort of like a deluxe audiobook.

    And well, this run of Hamilton has been pretty much everything I could have wanted or expected when I was originally supposed to see a live version of this show. From the lighting, to the songs, to the energy, I can say with confidence that 14 year old me would have been absolutely ecstatic to have known he would have been able to see a rendition of Hamilton one day. I'm even more amazed that it remained excellent even after the unfortunate mishap, which caused Aaron Burr's understudy to step in, even if I felt as if he was a bit weak.

   Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm better than any classically trained thespians, nor that I can sing better, but compared to the original broadway cast recording, Leslie Odom Jr. just has such a stronger presence, which is especially evident when it's time for him to be that sort of sly smooth talker who serves as the foil to the erratic quick thinking Hamilton. Whether it be the understudy or the original actor, I just felt like the character could have been played better, it just didn't feel like Aaron Burr. 

    Luckily, not all actors were too weak for their role, and I absolutely adored the actor who played Alexander Hamilton. All disrespect to Lin Manuel Miranda, but he is an absolutely horrendous teacher, and frankly I can't believe I loved him so much as the main character of Hamilton. Listening to this version compared to the broadway cast recording is like night and day. It's actually comical how bad he sounds compared to someone who can actually sing, which a much smoother voice, better range, and the swagger that a younger Hamilton carries with himself, especially in the first act of this musical.

    The same could be said for the actors who played Angelica and Eliza, who left absolutely no crumbs as they slayed this performance. Their range, the emotion that one could feel in their voices, was simply unrivalled and I could easily argue that they were better than I expected. Seriously, they killed it in their roles and I thought it was genuinely awesome to see a Hamilton cast that was essentially all POC, pushing the boundaries, because frankly I didn't mind it at all.

    This isn't to say that all actors either killed or flopped in their roles, because while I do believe no one could replace Christopher Jacksons charisma as Washington, I do concede that the actor playing George Washington did an admiral job trying to replicate that same gravitas he carried. I can also say the same for the Thomas Jefferson actor, even if his french accent as Laffayette was genuinely awful and distracting. The flamboyancy he used when playing Thomas Jefferson had the crowd absolutely in a chokehold, and he could have commanded everyone to cry if he wanted to.

    Lastly, on a side note I did not realize how hard lighting would carry this musical. Especially in the first act, it's almost laughable how dark and how ugly this entire set looks, almost all colours are just grey, black or brown, so I commend them for their ability to work around that. Look, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat looked better, but I imagine it looks better than most musicals, so I can't penalize it too much.

Final Score: 88/100

    Literally peak musical, our seats weren't even that close but we still had an absolute blast through it all. I would definitely recommend this musical to anyone who dares. It's a great time for anyone involved. I know the lyrics to pretty much every song this musical is pretty much ingrained into my mind. Look, is it cringy? Yeah but to be honest I'm a pretty cringy person so I'll allow it, that is all I'm willing to say.

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