Hamilton made waves on Broadway. It's finally come to the West End. Here's everything you need to know.
When and where is it?
The Victoria Palace Theatre, re-opening after staging Billy Elliot for 11 years. That's quite the run to live up to, but early signs are that Hamilton is going to be a blockbuster on the same level, and could become a West End fixture.
Previews commence 6 December, with the run to finish... who knows when?
Tickets
The current batch of seats are unsurprisingly pretty sold out. They've held back some extremely pricey premium tickets for each week's performances — these go on sale at noon each Monday.
The best bet at getting tickets for any performances soon is via a daily raffle, in which tickets cost £10.
If you don't mind watching the entire play on your feet, standing tickets are still available. Follow Hamilton's Twitter and Facebook account for details on these.
Is Lin Manuel Miranda in it?
A name to remember, Miranda is both the writer and star of Hamilton, playing the titular character. Apparently Miranda won't be in this production, instead leaving the task up to Jamael Westman, who has some pretty big boots to fill.
Hip hop is the music of the revolution
It might seem odd considering the 18th century setting, but Hamilton's musical palette comes from the world of hip hop. Still, this is musical theatre's interpretation of hip hop; do not expect Kanye yelling HEH every other word.
It's certainly going to stand out in the West End though; at one point Hamilton lays down a rap battle with Thomas Jefferson over America's financial future. There's even a Britpop break-up song from King George III to the colonies.
Who was this Hamilton bloke anyway?
Before this musical, Alexander Hamilton was one of the least well-known American Founding Fathers. Apart from his face adorning the 10 dollar bill, he really didn't have a visible presence in American society. Considering Americans barely knew him and he's an integral part of their history, your average Brit won't know much about him.
His story has something for everyone; it's a scrappy underdog tale, with action coming in the form of the American Revolution, political intrigue and a love thread. Miranda claimed that when he read Hamilton's biography, he was shocked it wasn't already a musical, as the story was so perfect for the art form.
And the rest of the cast?
The play's characters are historical figures in positions of power from America's past. Therefore, it isn't a surprise that they were all white. That's not how things play out on stage though. Miranda described the US cast as America's past as told by America today. There is similar racial diversity in the West End production, with much of the cast to be made up from British black, Asian and Middle-Eastern actors. Take a look at the full cast list.
It has raked in the awards...
...11 Tonys, The Pulitzer Prize for drama, the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album and so many, many more. It was nominated for another five Tonys, and three of those didn't result in wins because they were beaten out by Hamilton cast mates. In short, lots of people really love Hamilton. London's going to love it too.
