The West End Production is a production of Hamilton that is currently playing at the Victoria Palace Theater in London. Performances began in November 2017. The current cast is listed at West End Production Cast.
Reception
Originally, Lin-Manuel Miranda had doubts that audiences would enjoy the show, as not many people in the United Kingdom. are informed of American history and know little to nothing about the characters portrayed in the musical.
While this troubled him, his main concern was for King George III's portrayal. While almost every student learns about the sad story of King George III, a beloved monarch who was later plagued by illness and dementia in his later life, Miranda worried that the way the king was portrayed in his musical - as a silly, lovesick, bloodthirsty, and lightly insane monarch - might not please the audiences at the West End.
However, Miranda could not be further from the truth, as the king was beloved by audiences from the moment Michael Jibson sang his first note. [1]
Apart from the king, the entire cast received numerous praises, one critic describing them as "Superb, with two star-making performances from Giles Terera and, in the title role, magnetic newcomer Jamael Westman.” [2]
Differences From the Original Production
While the show itself remains the same (there were no songs or characters cut), Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted on January 9, 2018 that he had tweaked three lyrics in order to make the show clearer to British audiences. [3]
People were quick to respond, with Twitter user Brian Spar noticing the change in "Take A Break," instead of saying "John Adams doesn't have a real job anyway," Miranda changed it to "Vice President is not a real job anyway." [4] This was so British citizens not acquainted with the fact that John Adams was Vice President at the time would understand what Alexander Hamilton was talking about.
The second change happens in the song "The Room Where It Happens." Instead of James Madison singing, "Well I propose the Potomac," the lyric was changed to, "We'll have him over, propose it," as not everyone in Britain knows that the Potomac is a river in Washington. This change was noticed by Twitter user Lily Fritz. [5]
The final change was in the song "Your Obedient Servant" in which instead of Burr saying, "Weehawken, dawn, guns, drawn," Burr says, "Jersey, dawn, guns, drawn." This lyric was changed because it caused confusion for British audiences, as many did not know that Weehawken was a place in New Jersey.
Original West End Cast
Creative Team
| Role | Member(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Thomas Kail |
| Producers | Jeffrey Seler, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater, Cameron Mackintosh |
| Designer | David Korins |
| Choreographer | Andy Blankenbuehler |
| Costume | Paul Tazwell |
| Lighting Designer | Howell Binkley |
| Sound | Nevin Steinberg |
| Lyrics By | Lin-Manuel Miranda |
| Music By | Lin-Manuel Miranda |
| Hair and Wig Design | Charles G. LaPointe |
| Musical Supervision and Orchestration | Alex Lacamoire |
References
- ↑ https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-hamilton-is-landing-with-audiences-in-london-2018-01-05
- ↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/hamilton-in-london-heres-what-the-critics-had-to-say-about-the-most-hyped-show-of-the-year-a3725741.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/950725498824470528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-21289641373009245121.ampproject.net%2F1908231648370%2Fframe.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DMBHealer/status/950726210656636930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-21289641373009245121.ampproject.net%2F1908231648370%2Fframe.html
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/950728887671107585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-21289641373009245121.ampproject.net%2F1908231648370%2Fframe.html