Last night, the Philip Tour of Hamilton returned to Cleveland for the first time since 2018 to a rambunctious crowd at the State Theater humming along to all the hits.
Experiencing the magic of Hamilton in person for the 7th time brought that feeling of the first time seeing the show – with the excitement during “Yorktown” almost breaking down during “Burn” to feeling the sorrow and emptiness during the closing song “Who Lives, Who Dies, who tells your story?”.
The cast was led by the phenomenal Pierre Jean Gonzalez and Nikisha Williams as Alexander and Eliza Hamilton- but it also brought home two of Cleveland’s own with Warren Egypt Franklin(Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette) and Rory O’Malley (King George).
After seeing the show over a dozen times, I have a new favorite Aaron Burr played by Jared Dixon, and Thomas Jefferson, played by Warren Egypt Franklin(No, It’s not because he’s from Cleveland).
The amount I laughed at the little things that Franklin did with his facial expressions, small body movements, and added remarks he sprinkled in truly made it a memorable experience, along with his insanely talented vocals.
If you have never seen this show before – Do yourself a favor and see it – It’s by far the most fun musical telling the history of our founding fathers.
Hamilton is in Cleveland until January 15, 2023, at State Theater at Playhouse Square. A limited amount of tickets are still available at Playhousesquare.org
Setlist:
Act I
“Alexander Hamilton”
“Aaron Burr, Sir”
“My Shot”
“The Story of Tonight”
“The Schuyler Sisters”
“Farmer Refuted”
“You’ll Be Back”
“Right Hand Man”
“A Winter’s Ball”
“Helpless”
“Satisfied”
“The Story of Tonight (Reprise)”
“Wait for It”
“Stay Alive”
“Ten Duel Commandments”
“Meet Me Inside”
“That Would Be Enough”
“Guns and Ships”
“History Has Its Eyes on You”
“Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)”
“What Comes Next?”
“Dear Theodosia”
“Tomorrow There’ll Be More of Us”
“Non-Stop”
Act II
“What’d I Miss?”
“Cabinet Battle #1”
“Take a Break”
“Say No to This”
“The Room Where It Happens”
“Schuyler Defeated”
“Cabinet Battle #2”
“Washington on Your Side”
“One Last Time”
“I Know Him”
“The Adams Administration”
“We Know”
“Hurricane”
“The Reynolds Pamphlet”
“Burn”
“Blow Us All Away”
“Stay Alive (Reprise)”
“It’s Quiet Uptown”
“The Election of 1800”
“Your Obedient Servant”
“Best of Wives and Best of Women”
“Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”
Photos provided by Hamilton – Captured by Joan Marcus.
