Many audience members for touring Broadway shows probably wonder, "But is it as good as in New York?" and the answer for "Hamilton" is, "No."
It's better.
It must be tempting to calcify a musical, particularly one as megasuccessful as "Hamilton," and we've certainly seen examples here of roadshows that try to duplicate, beat by beat, the originals. That's not happening with the hip-hop-based story of the loves and ambitions of Mr. Face-on-the-$10-Bill, "Hamilton," whose producers know a show only lives if its actors are encouraged to find something vital and new in it.
That starts with Alexander Hamilton, Joseph Morales, the cast member who, on the surface, most resembles the actor who created the role (and the whole show), Lin-Manuel Miranda. As depicted in the musical, inspired by Ron Chernow's bestselling biography, the title character is a brash and tactless orphan who works his way into General George Washington's inner circle and, by marrying well-connected Eliza Schuyler, into New York's high society. He could come off as a creep but Morales makes him likeably modest, his soaring tenor finding musical colors you won't hear on the cast album.
"Hamilton" works only if its Aaron Burr is Hamilton's equal, and this production has that. Nik Walker's witty take on Burr is sleazier, less elegant than Leslie Odom Jr.'s was in the original production. Walker reveals early on that Burr, whose rise to power mirrored Hamilton's, is a schemer who believes only in himself. He's an ironic snake from the get-go, which makes it entertaining to follow his machinations and devastating when his illusions are stripped away. It all comes together in his showstopping "The Room Where It Happens," which feels like both Broadway and church, in the best possible way.
This production's boldest choices are made by Jon Patrick Walker, whose King George III is not an arch, over-it autocrat but a whiny baby who has learned that his lover (i.e., America) dumped him and who can't even. It's a big, hilarious tantrum of a performance and, with King George only simpering on for three quick songs, Walker is smart to realize he can get away with a lot.
Marcus Choi's Washington is on the opposite end of the performing spectrum. His is a quiet, authoritative rendering of a man who knows himself better than anyone else on stage. Choi's work is understated, hitting full power only in Washington's "One Last Time," but his dignity anchors the show, particularly in a moving sequence when Hamilton challenges his father figure, shouting, "Call me 'son' one more time!"
Ta'Rea Campbell is also exceptional as Angelica Schuyler, Hamilton's sister-in-law and, perhaps, the love of his life. Campbell provides a calm center right up to her blistering, fast-rapping "Satisfied," which she positions at the midpoint between an operatic aria and Nicki Minaj's iconic rap for Kanye West's "Monster."
