Update, Nov 30: Public ticket sales for the hotly anticipated return Sydney season of Hamilton go on sale from 9am(AEDT) on Monday, Dec 4, 2023. But you don’t have to ‘Wait for It’ – yep, Time Out readers can score access to Hamilton pre-sale tickets! Just rise up and follow our exclusive pre-sale ticket link right here. The pre-sale will end at 8.59am on Monday. Don’t throw away your shot!
Were you in ‘The Room Where it Happens’ when Hamilton had its Australasian debut in Sydney? Well, if you missed out on seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hip-Hop-infused musical masterpiece (or you just want to see it again, and again) you’re in luck. Producers Jeffrey Seller and Michael Cassel recently announced that the Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway hit is returning to the Harbour City, with an encore season opening at the Sydney Lyric Theatre (where Wicked is currently defying gravity) from July 30, 2024. We’re quite simply ‘Helpless’ with excitement.
The Australian premiere season was the first production of Hamilton to open anywhere in the world following Covid-19 shutdowns. Opening at the Lyric in March 2021, it was met with overwhelming audience and critical acclaim, and went on to play in Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand, concluding in June. While the season was a success, some 133 performances of the initial Sydney season had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, which means that a lot of fans missed out on seeing it. The 2024 return opens it up for a whole new audience to see the sensational show.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also originated the title role on Broadway) visited the Australian production in Brisbane in March, and said he was delighted that the show would have a return engagement in Australia. He said: “The return of Hamilton to Sydney is a testament to Australia’s deep appreciation and enthusiasm for the art of musical theatre. It’s palpable and alive, and we are so thrilled to be coming back!”
For the ill-informed, Hamilton is one of the biggest musicals in the world since Andrew Lloyd Webber was churning out shows about singing phantoms and dancing cats, and maybe even bigger than those blockbusters. It tracks the life and loves (and enemies) of one of the United States’ lesser-known (but more interesting) founding fathers. And just like in Les Misérables, there’s juicy drama and universal themes to lure in everyone who doesn’t care so much about the history element.
This show famously subverts traditions, with a score that fuses Hip Hop and R’n’B with showtunes, and it also casts People of Colour to play white historical figures. Miranda’s intent was to make a statement about immigration and represent “what America looks like now” – a statement which is also rather effective on the Australian stage, with the original local cast pulling together a diverse mix of triple-threats from Australia and New Zealand.
Casting has commenced for the return Sydney season, with the full cast to be revealed at a later date. We’re yet to find out which original Australian cast members, if any, are set to return, but we do know this show is a star-maker. Jason Arrow originated the role of Alexander Hamilton in the Sydney premiere with an “electrifying” performance (according to our five-star review). The South African-born and Perth-raised actor has gone on to lead the international touring production of Hamilton.
General public tickets go on sale from 9am on Monday, December 4. Find out more at hamiltonmusical.com.au.