LesWickedly said: "Wicked Fanatic said: "
How was the opening show in Los Angeles LesWickedly?
"
It was fantastic! Production is in great shape! The male leads are extraordinary.
Michael is most likely the best Hamilton there has been. I love Lin in the role (unlike many) and Michael does sound like Lin, if he was an amazing singer.
What can I say about Joshua that hasn't been said? He is simply amazing. He has so much presence and fills the giant Pantages with his performance. He's tied with Leslie for me.
Isiah started off mellow, but his One Last Time won me over. His ending riffs stunned me.
Jordan was the biggest surprise for me! His Lafayette was stellar and endearing, while his Jefferson was hilarious. Fantastic!
Mathenee might be my favorite Mulligan/Madison. He reminded me a lot of Andrew Chappelle and just has a certain sass that works well.
Rueben was good. Nothing special, just a solid performance.
The women were very good, but nothing that really stood out, unfortunately.
The energy was amazing and the audience was eating everything up, cheering when they sensed their favorite songs coming!
Hope this helped!
If I have one disappointment, it's not seeing Michael Luwoye a second time during the San Francisco run. I saw him in March, after a week of previews, and I thought he played Hamilton differently than the other actors I have seen in the role (Javier Munoz, Ryan Alvarado, and Lin on video). He was more angry than cocky, getting in Washington's face even more than usual, yelling at Jefferson during the rap battles. At that point, Jordan Donica was struggling in my view, not just with Lafayette's rapping but with finding the right balance between Jefferson's shrewd ruthlessness (which Daveed Diggs played so perfectly) and his comic gestures. Isaiah Johnson's Washington was a bit tentative in his acting, though his voice was wonderful.
By late May, Donica was much improved and Johnson was as well. But Luwoye was out that day, so I didn't get a chance to reassess him in the role once some of his fellow actors caught up. He has a powerful voice that really sells songs like "Hurricane," and is a good rapper. Alvarado, his understudy, played Hamilton as a poor man's Miranda. I felt like Luwoye had a different take on the role, and an interesting approach, but I wasn't sure I liked it as much overall the first time. I know many people who have seen the show more than I have think Luwoye is actually the best Hamilton, so I'm sorry I didn't get that chance when the cast, not counting the absurdly talented Joshua Henry, had more experience together.
You LA folks with tickets are lucky.
