A Day in London & Hamilton Musical Review!

Hello Sweet Peas!

This post has been a long time coming, mainly because I actually went to see Hamilton back in July for my birthday. But it was such an amazing experience that I didn’t want to write a slapdash post for the sake of it. So, let’s get into my amazing birthday day out to see Hamilton the musical.

I would firstly like to say a massive MASSIVE thank you (once again) to my best friend for not only taking me to see Hamilton, which has been my obsession since July 2017! But for also taking me on an incredible birthday experience around London for the day and for literally treating me like a Princess the entire day!

We caught the train to London, dressed in our fancy attire and arrived in Paddington around 10. From there we took a car over to Claridges for breakfast. Now, I am not a huge lover of food, but the food here was to die for! I went with the healthy breakfast which consisted of green juice, avocado toast, a small bowl of porridge and mixed berries. So yummy! As it was my birthday, they also brought out a little banana cake (my favourite) with a candle that said ‘Happy Birthday Amy.’ It was a wonderful way to start the day, with one of my favourite people in the world. And yes, that is edible GOLD on the banana! What the heck!

We then went and did some sightseeing, since I have never actually been around London other than for work events. It was a glorious day, perfect for looking at Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace and wandering around Kensington Gardens. We then headed over to the London Eye for a VIP experience, which included a glass of champagne. I’m not sure how, but I ended up drinking three. I have to say the views from the London Eye were incredible, but I wasn’t so sure about the movement. Whether it was due to the champagne or because I don’t do well with motion sickness, but I was not feeling steady on my feet. But a lady did comment on how much she liked my dress, so I was feeling very good about myself.

Once we were on solid ground again, we went for a walk along the river Thames so that I could *ahem* sober up. I have the say, the level of talent from the street performers along the river is high! We stood and watched this one girl for quite a while, she reminded me a lot of early style, Taylor Swift. Very talented!

Finally, it was time to go and see Hamilton! We headed over to the Princess theatre and were shown to a lounge area where we could wait for the performance and have another glass of champagne. We were shown to our seats and by this point, I was bouncing in my seat like a child at Christmas! This was it, I was finally going to see Hamilton! I would like to point out that I was watching the West End production of the musical with the British cast, rather than the Broadway production with Lin Manuel Miranda. Even so, the cast was fantastic! Every second of the performance was high energy and every note perfection! Sometimes when you go to see musicals, after the interval the second half is a little slower as the cast tire, but this was certainly not the case here! If anything, the second half was even more energetic than the first!

The only thing I had to say in a negative light about the performance was how the lead played Hamilton in the early half. He portrayed the character as very shy and quiet, which is fantastic, and really brought the character to life. However, it made the songs very hard to hear. Thankfully I know every song by heart and backwards (I even gifted my best mate a recording of me rapping Guns and Ships for this birthday…it didn’t go well), so it didn’t affect my experience, but I do wonder if people who don’t know the songs struggled to hear what he was saying. None the less, it was still a breathtaking performance.

The casts use of the stage was very unique, for the majority of the performance, most members of the cast were on the stage, around the edges as though they were watching the performance whilst still in character. This was especially prominent during the song, ‘History has its eyes on you’ as the whole case looked down on Washington while he sang. Goosebumps!

I have to say until actually seeing the musical my favourite character had always been Hamilton. But after watching the performance on stage, Aaron Burr is my new favourite! I was blown away by the performance of ‘The Room Where It Happens’ and ‘Your Obedient Servant.’ As not only one of the main characters, but also a partial narrator the character of Burr is on stage for a large proportion of the production, but his energy and commitment to the part did not falter for an instant!

Of course, the whole cast was downright impeccable! Right down to each member of the swing! As someone who was once in the performing arts myself, I generally know a performance is good if I have a growing urge to get up on stage a join them! There was a massive standing ovation at the end of the performance and I would happily go and see it all over again if I got the chance!

If you ever have the opportunity to go and see the Hamilton Musical in London, GO! You will not regret it!

Once again, thank you to my best friend for taking me to see it and giving me a day in London to remember.

Have you seen Hamilton? Let me know your thought in the comments or on social media.

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