In 2019 I flew to the Caribbean for a long weekend to see a performance of the musical Hamilton. It wasn’t even my first time seeing it, it was my fourth. It’s safe to say I’m a fan. Was my trip across the Atlantic expensive, impulsive and potentially a symptom of neurodivergent hyperfixation? You’d have to ask my psychiatrist.
In my defence, the short run of performances of Hamilton in Puerto Rico’s San Juan was historic. The show’s creator and originator of the titular role, Lin-Manuel Miranda, was returning to play Hamilton for the first and probably only time since he headed the musical both on and off Broadway in 2015 and 2016. Miranda, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, wrote Hamilton after reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, an orphan born on the island of Nevis in the West Indies who became one of the lesser known founding fathers of the United States. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name, he also wrote most of the songs from the Disney films Moana and Encanto. We Don’t Talk About Bruno? Yes, that was him.
Hamilton will be performed in Ireland for the first time when it opens at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre next week for a nine-week run. Tickets went on sale in April 2023 after years of speculation, so it’s been a long time coming. Seats are already very limited, but if you’re going or thinking of it, here’s a survival guide.
Do some research
The first time I saw Hamilton was on Broadway. It was the hottest ticket in town despite being in its second year in the Richard Rogers theatre. I had listened to the soundtrack many times but was still unprepared to follow the action, which tracks Alexander Hamilton’s role in America’s battle for independence and his position as the first secretary of the treasury. It sounds crashingly dull, but it isn’t. It’s also a history many Irish people will have only a passing knowledge of. The story is told quickly through rap and hip hop and many of the main characters play more than one role. If you haven’t already seen the professional stage recording of the show on Disney+ (which features the original Broadway cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda), consider watching it. At the very least Google the plot.
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Don’t bring your four-year-old
The second time I saw Hamilton was also on Broadway, just a few days after my first viewing. I found the experience so exhilarating I had to see it again, but I had also struggled to follow the almost three-hour storyline. Far below me that night, in the most expensive stalls seats, was a child who looked about four years old. I tried not to be distracted by him, but it was difficult. He was bored. He didn’t understand what was going on. He didn’t want to sit still. He and his parents left before the first act was even over. The guide age for Hamilton is 10 years old. It makes sense, given the opening line is “How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman …”, the show runs to two hours and 45 minutes and tells a complicated story with violence, sex, time jumps and double-jobbing actors. Children under 10 who are very familiar with the soundtrack or the movie will probably last. Otherwise, they don’t belong there. After a recent visit to see Wicked in Dublin I observed that if your children don’t yet know how to whisper then maybe you should stick to panto.
Don’t sing along
Because Hamilton’s soundtrack precedes it, many going to see the show know the songs inside out. However, it is frowned upon to sing along at musicals. In Puerto Rico there was an extremely enthusiastic women sitting a few rows behind me who had to be gently asked to keep it down. At Hamilton you can only sing along when King George commands you to, so listen out for that.
Hamilton in Dublin will be incredible, not only because we love any chance at communal acknowledgment of the “Brits” being “at it again”, and this show has that in spades. Watch out for Hercules Mulligan, the Act I Irish-American tailor and spy. You can expect cheers after Hamilton and Lafayette proclaim “immigrants, we get the job done”. Hamilton isn’t perfect, but it is important. Its cast is diverse, its education programme is admirable, and its legacy is long. Enjoy!