Why Hamilton might be the best musical you've seen in the last 15 years.

When it comes to experiencing HAMILTON, nothing quite compares to being in the room where it happens. 

HAMILTON, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a rare musical that received near-universal acclaim from theatregoers and critics alike since it first appeared on a New York stage in 2015. 

The show delves into the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution, all while using hip-hop, R&B, pop, soul, and traditional musical theatre devices to tell this compelling story. 

In a way that always has the eyes of the audience glued to the stage.

When HAMILTON first opened on Broadway, it fast became the most sought-after theatre ticket in the world. Box office records were broken, and the musical's infiltration into pop culture meant it became somewhat of a rite of passage to see it. 

Seeing this musical live on stage is very much a bucket-list experience, which makes its return to Australia for its final Australian season at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney from July 30 this year all the more exciting and poignant.

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HAMILTON is also one of the most awarded and critically acclaimed shows to ever grace the stage. At the 2016 Tony Awards HAMILTON received a record-setting 16 nominations across 13 categories, ultimately winning 11 awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Actor in a Musical. 

But the accolades did not stop there. The production also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, a Billboard Music Award for Top Soundtrack/Cast Album, seven Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical.

To top it off, HAMILTON also won the Pulitzer Prize, one of the highest honours in print journalism, literary achievement, and musical composition, for drama, with the judges calling the production “a landmark musical”. 

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Taking in the music and lyrics found within HAMILTON is truly a transformative experience, which explains why the show's soundtrack routinely makes its way onto thousands of people's Spotify Wrapped lists every year. 

It's because after seeing this show, you'll want nothing more than for these songs to play in your ear on a loop.

'My Shot' will make you want to run up a mountain, there’s no way you cannot sing along to 'The Schuyler Sisters', 'You’ll Be Back' will take up residence in your head for years to come, and 'Wait For It' is one of the most stirring pieces of music ever performed on stage. There’s actually not one weak link in the HAMILTON soundtrack, but nothing compares to seeing these songs performed live on stage. It’s an immersive, often funny, and then heartbreaking piece of storytelling performed in such a way that it will leave you feeling like you just sat through the best concert of your life. 

It is through this brilliant music and storytelling that a number of themes and ideas are explored through the intertwining characters and the life-altering moments they face. There are complicated friendships, inevitable betrayal, a thirst for power, and a longing to make your mark on the world. HAMILTON also perfectly explores the beautiful but complex world of sisterhood, through the dynamic of Eliza and Angelica Schuyler, whose storyline is one of the most riveting and relatable throughout the show.

As much as HAMILTON is a historical tale of battle, endurance and adversity it also very much explores the idea of forbidden romantic love through Angelica and Alexander Hamilton's relationship that builds and changes over many years throughout the production. It becomes an adjoining thread throughout the entire story and as an audience member it asks you to sit in the complexity of this love story for the ages. At times you'll want them to desperately be together, all the while knowing that the fallout will be personal and immense. 

The musical performances around these storytelling points are visceral moments of theatre, so much so that as an audience member you'll find yourself holding your breath, wrapped up in this exquisitely painful love and family story as it plays out on stage. 

There are so many 'firsts' that we always remember in life, whether it be a first kiss or the first time you read the final page of your favourite book, and seeing this show will very much be another 'first' to add to your list if you have not yet had the chance to see this show live. 

You'll always remember the first time you sat down in a theatre to experience HAMILTON. 

HAMILTON had its Australian premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021, the first production of the musical to open in the world after the COVID-19 lockdowns, and this Sydney production is your only chance to see the show before it leaves the country. 

South African-born and Perth-raised actor Jason Arrow, who portrayed Alexander Hamilton in the original Australian production returns to the role that he has very much made his own for this new season. Also taking to the stage once again in the roles that made Australia fall in love with this interpretation of the iconic musical are Callan Purcell returning as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds returning as Angelica Schuyler, Elandrah Eramiha returning as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, and Brent Hill returning as King George. Tainga Savage, who appeared in the original Australian production of HAMILTON and in the international tour, is now stepping into a principal role as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. 

At a recent launch event in Sydney, it was announced that Vidya Makan, who originated the role of Catherine Parr in the popular Australian tour of SIX the Musical, would be taking on the role of Eliza Hamilton.

Other newcomers announced to join the cast were Gerard-Luke Malgas as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Etuate Lutui as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, and Googoorewon Knox as George Washington.

HAMILTON returns exclusively to Sydney in July 2024, one last time. Get your tickets now.

Feature Image: Instagram/@hamiltonaustralia