Commentary:
We sent our Gen Z intern to see Hamilton for the first time EVER. Keep reading to see what he thought
Here’s my little (big) secret: I have never seen Hamilton… Until now, June 2025.
This article would do perfectly fine without my little (big) secret, but I believe it does enhance the purpose of this review. A new set of eyes and ears affirming a critically acclaimed piece of art would only continue to speak to the fact that Hamilton is just a tsunami capturing hearts. So, as I was absent for the first 10 years of this musical’s life, here’s exactly what I missed out on.
- Wardrobe
I was so astonished that I couldn’t buffer on giving shine to the wardrobe on the set of Hamilton. This play takes place in the late 1700’s and 1800’s meaning the wardrobe corresponds as such. I’ve never seen anyone make clothes from back then look so amazing. Who knows, maybe I acquired a taste for the incredibly outdated wardrobe of the 1800’s. Definitely not saying I’d ever rock an 1800’s fit, but my eyes enjoyed the look of it in Hamilton.
The show enhanced the style like I’ve never seen before. The designs, layers of clothes, fabrics, and the eye-popping colors and textures were unforgettable. There was an accurate, but heavily appealing wardrobe choice for every corresponding scene, and they just never missed the mark. Some of my favorites were Hamilton’s green suit, King George III’s entire fit, each of the Schuyler sisters’ dresses at every point in the show, Thomas Jefferson’s purple fit, each of the background dancers’ accompanying suits, and so much more.
- Story Telling The Right Way
The storytelling of American historical figures can be somewhat flawed. American history has a habit of controlling narratives in a way that portrays its historical figures as perfect people who did great things. The problem is not how we shine light on the fruit they bore and the good that resided within them. The problem is using those qualities and deeds to create a narrative that inflates who a person really was, and deflates the negative, irreversible effects they had on others.
On the contrary to America’s gaping hole in its own storytelling, Hamilton tells Alexander Hamilton’s story the right way. The musical acknowledges his triumphs, his contributions, and shines light on all the ambition, passions, motives, and fruit that he bore. At the same time, they keep the story honest by getting us to understand that through his affairs, deceit, negligence, and more, Alexander Hamilton was fully human and not blameless.
The story avoids the mistake of using his victories to deflate how he negatively impacted others, but all the more still highlights that he left behind a legacy filled with bright spots. Hamilton is a prime example of how we should portray American figures that did great things but also negatively affected others. Instead of painting a picture of a perfect person who did great things, Hamilton paints a picture of an imperfect person who did great things.
- Emotion
Life isn’t just happy, it isn’t just sad, it isn’t only filled with triumph, mistakes, etc, but it’s filled with a portion of all of it. What I love about Hamilton is it reflects that. Through the story of Hamilton’s life, the musical provoked Playhouse Square to clap for victory, love, and joy. It provoked Playhouse Square to feel the gravity of mistakes, sadness, jealousy and anger. Through the music, we were on a rollercoaster of a range of emotions that this musical provokes in its story. I came to Playhouse Square with my amazing girlfriend, and as we watched Hamilton, we laughed, we clapped for victories, we clapped for the talent, we felt sympathy, we zeroed in on the stage and only the stage at pivotal moments, and were even on the brink of tears at others.
Hamilton gave us everything. The show wasn’t a drama, it wasn’t a comedy, it wasn’t an adventure, it wasn’t an action. Hamilton doesn’t have a genre. Hamilton is life.
- Humor
While Hamilton isn’t a comedy, it is nothing short of hilarious. Its humor is a seamless fit. It is felt, and it isn’t forced. King George III (Elvie Ellis) never has a dull moment on the stage, Hamilton (Nathan Haydel, but usually Tyler Fauntleroy) is a consistently funny character (adding to his charisma), and his friends John Laurens (Desmond Nunn, but usually Nathan Haydel), Marquis de Lafayette (Jared Howelton), and Hercules Mulligan (Kai Thomani Tshikosi) humorously stand out. Just about every character adds to the comedic element of this musical, and it makes it that much more enjoyable.
- Doing Its Due Diligence To Hip Hop
All I’ve ever heard is how great Hamilton’s soundtrack is, and people weren’t lying. There is an excellence that it displays in its ability to mix mainly Hip Hop, but also R&B and Soul with the sound of traditional musical music. As a student and fan of hip-hop myself, there’s nothing I love more than the ability to flow. Sure, the performers had to “rap fast”, but the ability to flow methodically and smoothly should always be praised in my book. A+ isn’t a good enough grade to give the flow that was put on display in this show. It was simply a vibe. The most astonishing thing about the show’s music is that there is legit vocal talent on the stage. The singing was simply, aesthetically pleasing. Each of the Schuyler sisters stood out vocally, and so did George Washington, whose ending to “One Last Time” sent the crowd into a roar.
Anytime you leave the theater singing what you just heard, somebody did their job, and did it well. And that’s what I loved about Hamilton; its music is memorable, and it’s one of those shows where your psyche demands a search up of the soundtrack afterwards.
How would I know? I did just that. Big shoutouts to, “You’ll Be Back”, “The Room Where It Happens”, and “Washington On Your Side”.
Hamilton’s original 2015 cast is a HUGE reason for the show’s large success. So there’s automatically a high standard that is set for the current Broadway actors of the musical to give a great show. Not only for the sake of living up to the show’s popular status, but also for the sake of the returning fans that fell in love with the performance of the original cast. With this being my first time seeing the musical, I can’t speak on if the cast that I witnessed lived up to the original cast’s performance. What I can say, is that this cast certainly met the hype that I’ve become so accustomed to for the past 10 years.
I’ve talked about how the audience of Playhouse Square could feel the “emotion” of the musical. That’s largely to the credit of the actors’ ability to make you feel it. From Hamilton’s (Nathan Haydel, but usually Tyler Fauntleroy) ambition, to Eliza Hamilton’s (Lauren Mariasoosay) heartbreak, to Aaron Burr’s (Hosea Mundi, but usually J.J. Jeter) jealousy, and so many other moments, the actors made you feel and even sympathize with what their portrayed characters felt. It keeps you locked in and emotionally tied to the story. It felt real. And I mean that. The realness of this show is especially felt live, so why miss it while it’s still at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland until July 6th?
HAMILTON is playing the KeyBank State at Playhouse Square for 24 performances, June 17 – July 6, 2025. Tickets are available online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000.