Hamilton UK and Ireland tour at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre

Having been a fan of the original Broadway cast version, watching it hundreds of times on Disney+ I was definitely excited to see the show live for the first time and it did not disappoint.

Every single cast member put their heart and soul into the performance and showed so much more emotion through facial expressions and movements.

Daniel Boys was the perfect casting for King George III (Image: Danny Kaan)

Daniel Boys was a perfect example of this. George III was known as the ‘mad king’ and Boys’ performance was simple outstanding, drawing laughs from the crowd throughout. He made perfect use of a range of facial expressions to perfectly showcase the madness growing as the show progresses.

Prior to Hamilton rolling into Cardiff, I spoke with Sam Oladeinde who plays Aaron Burr and he discussed waiting for his chance to play Burr having been an understudy for the original West End cast and during Wait For It, you could see he was drawing inspiration from getting that chance.

Both Oladeinde and Shaq Taylor who plays Alexander Hamilton told me in the interview how they aim to put their own spin on the characters and they really did. Oladeinde’s Burr is more serious but in a good way, and Taylor’s Hamilton is much more awkward during the opening scenes, much as you would expect a young lad from St Kitts and Nevis who moved to the USA to be. He clearly read more into the character, which is unsurprising considering Hamilton was one of the productions to inspire him down the path of theatre. 
The cast put their heart and soul into their respective characters (Image: Danny Kaan)

Going into the show, I’d seen Billy Nevers in videos from Roles We’ll Never Play so was excited to see him in the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson and he killed it. He was absolutely hilarious throughout, as was KM Drew Boateng as Hercules Mulligan. Boateng’s switch from the loud, brash lovable Mulligan to the reserved, ailing James Madison was fantastic. 

DeAngelo Jones was great as John Laurens but really shone as Philip Hamilton, with hilarious antics as a young Philip and bringing the room to tears with his final scenes.

Hamilton is known for its musical variety and some of the songs are notoriously difficult to pull off but the cast do this brilliantly, particularly Aisha Jawando with Angelica Schuyler’s Satisfied. She also brings a huge range of emotion to the role, which is refreshing to see as many videos I’ve seen of performances haven’t delved deep into the psyche of the character. 
Sam Oladeinde was a great casting for Aaron Burr. A role he first became involved in as an understudy in the original West End cast (Image: Danny Kaan)

Maya Britto and Gabriela Benedetti were fantastic as Eliza Hamilton and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds respectively, with the former piling so much emotion into the role and the latter’s powerful vocals smashing Say No To This. 

Charles Simmons was fantastic as George Washington, bringing a more stoic performance than I’m used to with the OBC performance but it worked really well and his vocal melodies are amazing.

The entire cast showed talent, star power and a real in-depth knowledge of their roles (Image: Danny Kaan)

During the interview, Oladeinde and Taylor both highlighted the ensemble cast as the stars and they were completely right. Many times (despite the routine being almost identical to the OBC performance) I found myself drawn to the ensemble’s moves and they really shone throughout, adding an extra element to the show and story.

It is the first time that Hamilton has been toured in the UK and Ireland and will be at the Wales Millennium Centre until January 25, 2025 and I highly advise anyone considering it to grab the few remaining tickets and be in the room where it happens.