Hamilton in Manila is Superb: A Review

Hamilton is a living testament to how musical theater will continue to keep reinventing itself.

Written by Matthew Escosia
September 27, 2023

In photo: Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton in the Australian Production. Photo by Daniel Boud

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning musical Hamilton officially premieres in Asia, with Manila as the first leg of its staging in the region.

It was a long time coming for theater fans in this part of the world. Regardless of where you discovered it, whether from its filmed Broadway production streaming on Disney+ or the original cast album, Hamilton has been inescapable in the realm of theater for the past eight years. Hamilton’s popularity is synonymous with its music, which merges hip-hop and musical theater to tell the tale of Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Treasury Secretary and an American founding father.

Treating the life of Hamilton as a hip-hop tale has always been part of its conception. While reading Ron Chernow’s historical biography “Alexander Hamilton” during a summer vacation, Miranda shared how it felt natural to have "hip-hop songs start rising from the page."

Miranda sees Alexander Hamilton as a prolific writer who has lived through a dangerous life, the same way a lot of rap lyricists do. Much like the lives of hip-hop icons like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., Hamilton came from a poor upbringing and leveraged his writing prowess to make a difference, which ironically became the reason that triggered their tragic deaths.

By using contemporary music as a creative choice to tell a significant period in the United States, Hamilton the musical becomes an electric history lesson that everyone of all ages can appreciate and savor. It was never really about how hip-hop was incorporated through its songs, but how Miranda’s lyrics reimagine a distant time that can eerily happen in the present.

It is also more than just a story of a man’s rise to prominence. Hamilton is a fascinating study on legacies as something that shouldn’t be defined by current contributions but through the positive influence it can instill in other people. Despite his many works, Alexander Hamilton was never the heart of his own story surprisingly. His wife Eliza is. Emerging from the background in between the musical’s big moments, Eliza Hamilton provides the moral guide for Alexander when he needs it – even going to the lengths of continuing the thread of his legacy by letting the world know who he really is.

Hamilton is one of those musicals where each song is crucial and should be unmissable. The opening three tracks combination comprised of “Alexander Hamilton”, “Aaron Burr, Sir” and “My Shot” are the ideal appetizer for audiences, almost an early reminder of what the show’s pace will be moving forward. Two of the musical’s best songs “Yorktown” and “Non-Stop” also put its audiences in the middle of the action, narrating years-long historical moments in a very condensed song. With this, and given the complexities of the story it is telling, Hamilton is commendable for how it sustains a lot of its energy throughout the show’s two acts.

The Manila production of Hamilton effectively delivers and impresses on all fronts. The frenetic flow of the show is evident in how the stage was built in terms of production design. The musical allows its characters to roam around a two-floor set-up and a turntable that rotates in key sequences (it works wonders in “Satisfied” and “Ten Duel Commandments”). The songs have never felt more alive.

The cast and ensemble of Hamilton’s Manila production are also superb. Comprised of actors from different iterations of the show, you can feel the adrenaline and sheer enjoyment of the craft in them. Jason Arrow and DeAundre' Woods were great as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr respectively, but the Filipino audience will be happy to learn that Rachelle Ann Go knocked it out with her performance as Eliza Hamilton. Also worth noting is Brent Hill’s hilarious and menacing turn as King George, who became one of the show's best bits despite a limited stage time.

Hamilton is one of the best musicals you will watch. With its jampacked shows in Manila, I hope it eventually creates a ripple effect of outpouring support for our local stage productions, and more importantly, inspire us to revisit our own country’s history. Hamilton is a living testament to how musical theater will continue to keep reinventing itself.

Hamilton the Musical is currently running at The Theater at Solaire until November 26, 2023.