Write a paper on the Hamilton (The Musical)
Theatre reviewing will help you develop your understanding of drama and the theatre. Review writing will help you be more responsive to what you see and more comprehensive and exact in your account of it.
Different kinds of plays and productions will be reviewed differently. You need to respond to the particular experience provoked by a performance.
Some questions before you attend the show.
1. What is the play called?
2. Who is the director?
3. Who is the designer?
4. Who wrote it?
What kind of play is it, and what is it about?
A brief summary of the main action is a good way to start before talking about the main themes of the play and the issues it confronts.
What is the style of performance?
Is the play typical of one particular genre? Is it a comedy, a tragedy, absurd, naturalistic or postmodern?
Explain how this is portrayed in the performance, (ie techniques).
Is the play based on a novel?
Discuss whether the script was faithful to the original text?
Was the script written by the author of the original text or by someone else?
Is the play also a film?
How does the screenplay compare to the stage production? What differences are there in the action?
What worked better on the stage, or in the film?
Who are the main actors, the supporting actors?
What are the main characters of the play?
Do you think the actors understand the work?
How convincing did the actors seem in their portrayal of their characters?
What is their relationship with the other characters on stage and how well do they work together?
How well did they use their voice, movement or gestures to express their character?
Is there someone that stands out? Describe why.
How good is it?
Distinguish here between the text and the performance.
What effect does it have on you? Positive, negative, indifferent or some combination of these.
What’s missing, what’s worth seeing, what it is you value the most from the production?

Here are some words to help you explain the performance;
Compelling, difficult, complex, simple, overwhelming, aesthetically appealing, vague, dry, humorous, inviting, stale, logical, warm, frightening, abstract, dark, invigorating, mechanical, predictable, sophisticated, grotesque, energetic, enjoyable or abrasive.
If you read the script before you attend the performance, analyse the performance against the written text.
Does the performance realise its potential?
Do the actors fit the description of the characters you had in mind?
Describe aspects of the performance in detail.