Hamilton

Base Entertainment Asia
Sands Theatre
April 24

After months of hype over the arrival of Hamilton, the Broadway musical has finally begun its seven-week Singapore run at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Theatre.

And its rock-solid beatboxing and turntable-scratching performances live up to its renowned reputation.

No other musical in recent memory has been so decorated with Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards – and even a Pulitzer Prize.

But Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015 and whose score blends rap, hip-hop, jazz and R&B, has single-handedly pushed the boundaries of musical theatre. It has also breathed new life into a medium typically associated with showtunes, as well as an important period of American history.

With a book, music and lyrics by American songwriter-actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sung and rapped-through show documents the rise and fall of American founding father Alexander Hamilton (1757 to 1804), who played a key role in the American Revolution (1775 to 1783), during which Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America.

The title character’s ambition and flaws are deftly portrayed by Australian actor Jason Arrow.

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate’s tenor voice is so versatile, it can tear into a passionate diatribe about political injustice in My Shot, and also dance across the softer syncopated beats when expressing love and fear for Hamilton’s loved ones.

The at-times rapid-fire rapping by Arrow over the 170-minute show, which includes an intermission, makes one wonder how he manages to catch his breath. Like his on-screen character, Arrow is Non-Stop.

On the other hand, Filipina singer-actress Rachelle Ann Go’s portrayal of Hamilton‘s wife Eliza drips with devotion.

As a blushing bride in the number Helpless, she brings a shy sweetness to the character, a feminine presence in the male-dominated cast. Often, Eliza reminds Hamilton to take a break, and Go’s warm soprano delivers a respite from the political manoeuvring and warfare.

While also game to get down for some beatboxing when required, Eliza maintains a sense of dignified decorum even in the face of Hamilton’s professional obstacles.

American actor-singer DeAundre’ Woods’ subtle, restrained portrayal of Hamilton’s rival, Aaron Burr, provides another foil for the charismatic Arrow. Woods plays the calculated Burr with a subdued style epitomised in the character’s advice to Hamilton in the song Aaron Burr, Sir: “Talk less, smile more.”

His performance is the quiet engine that powers the show forward.

The musical’s many iconic numbers are also delivered with aplomb by the ensemble cast. As the egoistic King George III, who ruled Great Britain from 1760 to 1820, Australian actor Brent Hill presents the character’s signature You’ll Be Back with all the elements that would make for a viral sensation.

There is the monarch’s exaggerated self-importance, his smug prediction that the revolutionaries would come crawling back, drizzled with contempt and comic timing. His knockout performance triggers chuckles from the audience with every look and gesture.

Then there is the wartime number Right Hand Man, mainly sung by American actor Darnell Abraham with steely command. With a thumping drumbeat and punctuated by the sound of explosions, he brings the battlefield to life with his larger-than-life portrayal of George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary War Army, who would later become the first president of the United States.

Abraham’s powerful baritone and large athletic build are impressive, if not a little intimidating – perfect to portray such a towering presence in American history.

There is very little to fault here, although the quick pacing and dense subject mean one is advised to read up on the show before entering the theatre. That, or one can consider giving it multiple viewings, which may not be a bad thing, given its quality.

This is my third time watching the musical live – I saw it in Chicago in 2017 and in Manila in 2023. Nonetheless, it still delights and wows with its layered characters and nuanced relationships.

With a brown Colonial-era set filled with wooden scaffolding, ropes and pulleys by set designer David Korins and many elegant 18th-century coats and dresses by costume designer Paul Tazewell, Hamilton allows history to breathe and come alive in all its mic-dropping glory.

Book it/Hamilton

Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: Until June 9, 8pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 2 and 8pm (Saturdays), 1 and 6.30pm (Sundays)
Admission: $80 to $300 via Marina Bay Sands’ website (str.sg/iNDG), Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555) and Klook (str.sg/iNDp)