Richard Rodgers Theatre

Hamilton: Theater review by David Cote What is left to say? After Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s prodigious quill scratched out 12 volumes of nation-building fiscal and military policy; after Lin-Manuel Miranda turned that titanic achievement (via Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography) into the greatest American musical in decades; after every critic in town (including me) praised the Public Theater world premiere to high heaven; and after seeing this language-drunk, rhyme-crazy dynamo a second time, I can only marvel: We've used up all the damn words. Wait, here are three stragglers, straight from the heart: I love Hamilton. I love it like I love New York, or Broadway when it gets it right. And this is so right. A sublime conjunction of radio-ready hip-hop (as well as R&B, Britpop and trad showstoppers), under-dramatized American history and Miranda’s uniquely personal focus as a first-generation Puerto Rican and inexhaustible wordsmith, Hamilton hits multilevel culture buttons, hard. No wonder the show was anointed a sensation before even opening. Assuming you don’t know the basics, ­Hamilton is a (mostly) rapped-through biomusical about an orphan immigrant from the Caribbean who came to New York, served as secretary to General Washington, fought against the redcoats, authored most of the Federalist Papers defending the Constitution, founded the Treasury and the New York Post and even made time for an extramarital affair that he damage-controlled in a scandal-stanching...

Who says you need huge movie stars to do Othello? Classical Theatre of Harlem's annual series of free outdoor performances in Marcus Garvey Park—sometimes known as Uptown Shakespeare in the Park—presents Shakespeare's fast-paced tragedy of jealousy, race and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a dark-skinned war hero married to a Venetian woman. Carl Cofield directs the full production, which stars James Udom, Nick Westrate, Isabel Arraiza, Orlando Grant, Keren Lugo and Hiram Delgado. Tickets are free but reservations (and donations) are suggested.