Like so many Australians I spent my 2020 birthday in total lockdown. The cruise I’d booked was cancelled. My best friend who insisted she’d be happy to sit in my place and drink wine couldn’t cross the border. For the first time ever there was no special meal out, just me and my husband. It was sucky, like so much of 2020, but one of the things that made the year brighter was the release of Hamilton on Disney+. As I watched and rewatched, unpacking and analysing it as I hadn’t done with a piece of work since high school English, it became my favourite musical. So when I heard it would make its Australian debut around my 2021 birthday, I knew how I wanted to celebrate my latest turn around the sun.
I wondered though, could the Australian production of Hamilton possibly meet my lofty expectations? I’d fallen in love with the Broadway cast, many of whom took home Tonys for their performances. Matching them was always going to be a tall order, but we should be proud of our talent here at home. Many of the Hamilton principals aren’t well-known … yet. But I believe this cast has many stars of the future. Lin-Manuel Miranda created Hamilton, so while his singing voice was never the strongest I couldn’t imagine anyone else understanding the role of Alexander in quite the same way. But Jason Arrow stepped into those massive shoes as if they were tailormade for him. Chloe Zuel was the perfect Eliza and Lyndon Watts a nuanced Aaron Burr. Matu Ngaropo brought the right amount of gravitas to George Washington and while I love Daveed Diggs, I think Victory Ndukwe did an even better job of separating the personalities of Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.
If like me you were wondering whether the local cast could possibly keep pace with the rapid-fire rhymes, don’t stress. They’ve got this. Add in those incredible songs, beautiful costumes and staging, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a memorable time at the theatre.
If you’ve seen the Disney+ pro shot, you may wonder whether you need to see Hamilton in person. There’s an electricity about being in “the room where it happens” though. While I fell in love with Hamilton on my couch, I wouldn’t have given up the experience of witnessing it in person for the world. While I appreciate the way that the cameras guided my gaze at home, being able to take in the whole stage at any time and catch the movements that might have been off-frame made me fall in love with this musical even more. Nothing could replace the feeling of sitting with a crowd of theatregoers (100% capacity now, if you please), then standing with them to deliver the standing ovation this production so richly deserved.
As I glanced down my row, I was pleased to see my whole family joining me in that standing O. Even my father who was dreading the performance because he hates “rap crap.” There may be no higher praise than that. Hamilton is at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre until November 14. Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster.
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