It’s no secret that HAMILTON the musical is a worldwide hit. Written by American multi-hyphenate Lin-Manuel Miranda and first staged in 2015 with Miranda himself in the lead role, the multi-award winning musical has since taken the world by storm.
The 3-hour long musical condenses the life and one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton who, as an immigrant, fought alongside George Washington against the British colonist to form the young United States of America. Together with Washington, his name, along with his contemporaries’ like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison, are etched in American history.
Given its content steep in American history, how much can non-Americans enjoy and appreciate the musical (i.e. will it be boring if we are not familiar with Amercian history?) Here’s sharing how we have ‘prepped’ ourselves to enjoy this musical when Hamilton, along with Washington and his ‘troops’ arrived on Singapore’s shores.
1- Get a ‘crash course’ on American history and its founding fathers
While the musical centres around American history, the depth is not as daunting as how we first imagined it. By and large, one can still appreciate much of the musical for its entertainment value – the songs, dance, acting and staging stand on their own as being exceptional. However having a little knowledge of American history may help to follow the musical as it unfurls.
We found that getting familiarized with some basic facts on the American Revolution and its Founding Fathers is relatively easy as we were able to read up from online resources.
Who is Alexander Hamilton?
Who are the Founding Fathers:
The American Revolution Explained, in 3 minutes:
2- Familirise yourself with the lyrics
Among the many multi-talented musical writer, composer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s accomplishments is a rapper. It is no surprise that most of the songs are rapped. This accounts for its world-wide appeal particularly to the teens, the Gen-Zs and beyond.
However for ‘mainstream’ musical afficionados like us, we rarely listen to that genre. Surprisingly, the rapping, as fast as they were (at some points rattling on like a machine gun), kept the pace of the musical excitable and literally kept us at the edge of our seats as we tapped our toes!
However we did have one advantage – we got ourselves acquainted with the words and lyrics of what was being sung through watching the musical on Disney+ (with the composer and writer himself performing the lead role!). Another way we got acquinted is by having the subtitles turned on and reading the lyrics of the tunes on Spotify. Rap lingo and colloquial aside, it is surprisingly effective!
3- Expect the Unexpected
Aside from the ‘Americaness’ of the musical, there are many aspects of the musical that makes it iconic in its own right. While some of these uniqueness stem from the musical breaking conventions , others are due indirectly to its unprecedented popularity. Here are some examples:
‘NC 16’? No problem! ‘NC’= No Children! Perfect for a Couple’s Night Out.
NC16 – The musical has a NC16 rating here in Singapore as it contains some sexual references and adult lingo. It is after all based during a time of war and revolution where emotions are heightened. So it’s a great excuse to keep the young kids at home and make it a couple night out of sorts.
Length of the musical – The musical is 3 hours long with only a short 15-minutes interval. If you need that glass of wine or need to take that selfie, do arrive early and get those checked off your list.
Crowd – The popularity and appeal of this contemporary musical is quite unprecedented. We experienced a full-house crowd on a Thursday evening’s performance on its 3rd week here in Singapore! As such, do expect the ushers to tighten crowd control and security checks. Arrive very early to get yourself into the lobby and soak in the electrifying pre-show atmosphere.
The Ending – The ending is unlike any musical we have watched. No spoilers here but for our very own self-proclaimed musical connoisseur aka Hubby, he particularly loved the last few songs leading up to the musical finale.
The stage set of Hamilton at Marina Bay Sands.
The cast at the Sands Theatre taking the Curtain Call. Bravo!
Summary:
Hamilton the Musical premiers in Singapore with an Australian cast and currently is being performed at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands till 9 June 2024. With it’s blend of rap, hip-hop, jazz and R&B, accentuated by its live music, excellent acting and dance choreography, this is a musical that this generation can call its very own. Furthermore, with its timeless appeal about an underdog that was instrumental in changing history, Hamilton the Musical, like Les Miserable can easily be considered a classic for the post-covid generation. Not to be missed, Americans or otherwise.
The Stage and the Live Music pit.
A musical perfect for an older teen – Our teen did join us but was with a school friend seated at a separate category
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