Hamilton Reviews: What the Critics Say

Hamilton is the rare show that arrived carrying impossible expectations and has fully met them. It reached the Victoria Palace in December 2017 with a Pulitzer and eleven Tony Awards already behind it, and the London critics agreed with New York almost without exception.

Five stars across the national press, then seven Olivier Awards from thirteen nominations, which is still the most-nominated show in the history of those awards.

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The Critics' Verdict

These are the press-night notices from December 2017. The company has changed several times since, and the current cast took over in June 2026, so the performances praised below are not the ones you will see.

There was no real dissent, which is unusual enough to say plainly.

Five stars from the Guardian, the Times, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, Time Out, WhatsOnStage and The Stage. The Stage's headline was "world-shattering". The Evening Standard's was "believe the hype."

Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph put the question everyone was asking and answered it: "It really is as good as we've been told."

Sarah Crompton in WhatsOnStage went furthest: "A heart-breaking work of staggering genius that changes the form of musical theatre for ever."

What the Reviews Praised

That the form fits the subject. Michael Billington in the Guardian: "What is astonishing is how well the form fits the subject: Miranda's use of rap, hip-hop and R&B becomes the ideal vehicle for exploring the birth of a nation."

That it beats its own hype. Andrzej Lukowski in Time Out: "If anything, and I'm truly sorry to say this, it is actually better than the hype suggests."

The writing. Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard found it made "18th-century politics seem as explosively immediate as a rap battle." Billington described lyrics that "combine two things that rarely go together: political passion and nimble wit."

That it is a genuinely new thing. Tim Bano in The Stage: "Hamilton is a touchstone. It's zeitgeist, youthquake, Momentum, it's woke, it's post-musical." Matt Trueman in Variety saw it differently and landed in the same place: it arrived "looking every inch the classic."

The performance the critics kept coming back to

Not the title role. King George III, who appears three times, sings almost the same tune each time and is the show's only joke.

Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail: "Apart from Mr Westman the star of the show is Michael Jibson as a pleasingly puddingish, catty George III." Demetrios Matheou in the Hollywood Reporter admired the idea behind it: "having the figurehead of colonial oppression appear as comic relief."

Jibson won the Olivier for it. He has long since left, and Daniel Boys plays the role now, but it is still the place to look on the night.

Where Reviews Were Mixed

Barely at all, and where they were, they were mixed about the same thing: the second half.

Michael Billington, the Guardian: "There are times in the second half when the show's virtuosity becomes a little taxing."

Paul Taylor, the Independent: the show "begins to feel as if it's a little in awe of itself."

Both still gave it five stars, and Sarah Crompton thought the second half was the better one, so this is not settled. What they are circling is real: Act II is denser, more political and slower-moving than Act I. If you are going to lose the thread anywhere, it is there.

On accuracy, Hitchings was relaxed: "There are a few dramatically expedient inaccuracies, but Miranda knows which liberties are worth taking."

Is Hamilton Right for You?

Based on what the reviews actually say, rather than on the reputation:

Book it if you want to see something being done differently. Every critic above reached for the same idea from a different angle: that the form and the subject fit, that it is a new kind of thing, that it looks like a classic already.

Book it if the rap is what has been putting you off. The critics who wrote most warmly were the ones most surprised, and Lukowski apologised for having to say it was better than the hype.

Do a little preparation if you do not know the history. The one reservation anyone raised is about following Act II, and that is a comprehension problem rather than a quality one. Twenty minutes with a summary of the story is the fix.

Think harder if you want spectacle. Nobody praised the set, because there barely is one. The praise is all for the writing, the movement and the performances.

Call us on 020 7193 9050 if you are unsure and we will talk you through it honestly.

Book Hamilton Tickets

Hamilton is at the Victoria Palace Theatre, booking to 2 October 2027. From around £30, with all-in pricing, so the price you see is what you pay.

Hamilton tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050

Sources

The Guardian · The Times · The Daily Telegraph · The Independent · Evening Standard · Time Out · WhatsOnStage · The Stage · Variety · Financial Times · Daily Mail · Metro · Mirror · The Hollywood Reporter · BroadwayWorld