The first UK performance of huge Broadway hit Hamilton was a resounding success last night (December 6).
The smash musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda will open officially at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre on December 21.
Last night’s first preview performance had been pushed back by two weeks, but those in attendance reported no technical glitches or mishaps.
Daniel Lewis called the musical, which has already won 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, “the most astonishing piece of theatre I’ve ever seen”.
Saw the first performance of @HamiltonWestEnd tonight and it literally blew my mind. The most astonishing piece of theatre I've ever seen. Remortgage your house and get a ticket, it's that good #speechless #HamiltonLDN pic.twitter.com/vrrZBgRJvY
— Daniel Lewis (@bigdannylewis) December 6, 2017
The musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers, using songs that incorporate elements of rap, hip-hop, pop, R&B and soul as well as more traditional show tunes.
The West End production stars Jamael Westman as Hamilton, a part originally portrayed in the Broadway production by Miranda himself.
Alex Packer called the West End production “perfect”, while Alim Kheraj hailed it as “amazing”. Amy Matthews said it had left her “emotionally wrecked”.
guys hamilton was amazing i can’t breathe
— ?alim kheraj (@alimkheraj) December 6, 2017
HAMILTON is put together with skill unlike anything I’ve seen before. Every single component, technically, musically is perfect. There’s no other word for it. I can’t believe how good it sounded. I can’t believe how incredibly it’s performed & staged. Game: CHANGED. #HamiltonLDN
— Alex Packer (@_alexpacker) December 6, 2017
And yes, this is my ‘emotionally WRECKED by #HamiltonLondon and thus sitting in the nearest licensed establishment‘ face pic.twitter.com/UWbiC5RCwO
— Amy Matthews (@amyuncorked) December 6, 2017
Renowned theatre critic Baz Bamigboye called it the best musical preview he’d seen since a 1989 performance of Miss Saigon.
Is the @HamiltonWestEnd hype warranted? Yeah.It is.Did @JamWestman take his shot ? Yep.Bullseye.He added little bits of business to make the role his own.This was the best first preview of a musical I’ve seen since Miss.Saigon at Drury Lane a lifetime ago. pic.twitter.com/I2R4QNgiEA
— Baz Bamigboye (@BazBam) December 7, 2017
Tickets for Hamilton in London have been incredibly high demand, but producers have recently announced a free-to-enter “lottery” system which allows winners to buy either one or two tickets for £10 each. Find out more on the musical’s website.