Hamilton (The Smith Center)

Hamilton is the kind of cultural phenomenon that defies explanation. Lin-Manuel Miranda read a biography of founding father Alexander Hamilton and decided to write a musical about it. It became the hottest ticket on Broadway, and probably saved Hamilton from being removed from the ten-dollar bill. I finally got a chance to see the touring company here in Las Vegas.

It's great when something lives up to the hype. Hamilton is absolutely terrific, a masterpiece of writing, direction, and performance. It is never dull, and often thrilling, with also some moments that will bring a tear to your eye.

The story follows Hamilton from a young man in New York City. He was born on the island of Nevis to a prostitute. The opening lines are sung by Aaron Burr, who would be the yin to Hamilton's yang throughout their lives:

?How does a bastard, orphan,
son of a whore and a Scotsman,
dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by providence,
impoverished, in squalor
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar??

Hamilton, through hard work and being a favorite of George Washington (Burr sings "it must be nice to have Washington on your side.") Hamilton is Washington's secretary, and after the war is a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and writes most of the The Federalist Papers. Washington appoints him the first Secretary of the Treasury, and he marries Eliza Schuyler. Things are looking good.

Act II has bad news for Hamilton. He has an affair, and when Jefferson and Madison learn of it, they vow to keep it a secret, but Hamilton reveals all anyway in a public pamphlet. Washington decides to step down, and John Adams becomes president. But in 1800 Jefferson and Burr square off. Hamilton throws his support behind Jefferson, though the two have never agreed upon anything, and Burr, outraged, challenges him to a duel. If you don't know history, I'll stop there.

Miranda is a miraculous wordsmith. The actors have so speak and sing very fast, as the lines are full of all sorts of words you don't usually hear in musicals, like Icarus. There is a lot of exposition in the songs, but that works fine, because we learn what's going on and it doesn't seem like exposition.

The actors are people of color, playing white characters (the only white actor is the one playing George III, who has a song that sounds like sixties' pop, and appears as a fool). Miranda has said that they are playing Americans, and this is what America looks like today. I also think it's ingenious because he is telling the story of the founding of America, which was simultaneously built on slave labor, and using black and Latino culture as his medium.

Some of the characters are not treated well. Jefferson, who doesn't appear until Act II because he was in Paris (his introductory song is "What'd I Miss?") comes off as a vainglorious James Brown. John Adams isn't even a character, but takes his lumps, such as when King George hears of his ascendancy and says, "Good luck." Of course Hamilton is revered, though his weakness for women is noted, but he is credited with the creating the foundations of the American financial system.

As I watched this I noted similarities to Jesus Christ Superstar, which I saw on live TV on Easter. The real star of that musical is Judas Iscariot, and it can be said that the real star of Hamilton is Aaron Burr, while Hamilton is martyred. As Burr says, Hamilton lost his life, but he is the one who pays for it. Burr and Judas are peas in a pod.

The direction by Thomas Kail is magnificent, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler. The little things mean so much, as when Madison is walking off stage and does a little soft-shoe as he does so. The cabinet meetings are presented like wrestling matches, with Washington holding a mic like Michael Buffer, introducing the combatants, Hamilton and Jefferson, who agree on nothing (Jefferson wanted to help France fight Britain, Hamilton did not, and Hamilton won the argument). One of my favorite numbers is "The Room Where It Happened," about the 1790 compromise, in which Jefferson and Madison got the capital on the Potomac, and Hamilton got his financial system. Burr sings that there were only three people "in the room where it happened."

Another great song is "My Shot," which is a motif for Hamilton throughout. Given his ending, it's grim foreshadowing.

I don't have any trouble declaring Hamilton to be the best musical I've ever seen. I'd see it again tomorrow. I hope I live long enough to see the movie version.