Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...But, again and for the record, "Hamilton" is a masterpiece, a musical that succeeds brilliantly because of Miranda's innate understanding that Broadway musicals are best when they are generous of spirit, honoring the traditions of the form while taking it in new directions. He found a subject (Alexander Hamilton) who allowed him to write, in essence, about work-life balance, fusing the travails of a brilliant Founding Father with those of an extraordinary young artist (himself). Because Hamilton lost a child, a kid who wanted nothing but to be like his dad, the show has a sadness that sits with its optimistic, pro-immigrant spirit. Everyone can relate. In my experience, after years of conversations about this show, everyone does."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...As it returns to Chicago over three years after its initial multiyear run here, "Hamilton" remains a show as essential as ever, its meaning - or meanings - even more urgent than when it premiered at the Public Theater in 2015 on its way to accolades and hype galore."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...But "Hamilton" goes beyond history lessons and early American politics. The musical is also a love story, one that involves sacrifice, betrayal, grief and reconciliation. That latter is reflected in exquisite detail in the achingly lovely "It's Quiet Uptown." Beautifully sung by Lencia Kebede's Angelica Schuyler with the ensemble, it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Pierre Jean Gonzalez in the title role feels a bit more rough around the edges initially than either Miranda or Miguel Cervantes, who played the role in the original Chicago production. But that works for a story about a young man in a hurry in the first act. And as both the music and the story take on more mournful hues in the second act, so, too, does Gonzalez’s performance."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...From the book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton is a non-stop, exhilarating musical that features a blend of hip-hop, jazz, and R&B that thoroughly mixed in with historical culture, the backbone of American politics and educational thesis that only Broadway could pull off. Direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, this masterful production has come back to the James M. Nederlander Theatre, and its brazen look of one man's past that set the course of our history is still packaging the house."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler this is a smashing production that should be on your "MUST SEE" list. Even if you saw it before, you should consider seeing it again. They did buttons when we entered. One said "This is my First Time" the other was "I've Seen Hamilton ____Times." I am at three now and plan to see it once more before it leaves for other destinations."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...The musical's latest visit to Chicago, which will run through December at the Nederlander Theatre, is as grand-scale and exuberant as ever, with its book, music and lyrics by Miranda (inspired by Ron Chernow's biography of Hamilton), its vast, high-energy cast directed by Thomas Kail, its terrific choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, the original massive scenic design of David Korins, costumes by Paul Tazewell, and a strong (if somewhat overly amplified) orchestra - with orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire - led by conductor/keyboardist Emmanuel Schvartzman."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...From its stellar 2015 Off-Broadway opening, to its epic, jaw-dropping Broadway opening later that same year, this exhilarating, inspirational, sung and rapped musical is still going strong today, eight years later. In a welcome return to Chicago, this mega hit, which earned unprecedented popularity (especially among younger audiences) and unheard of critical acclaim, is back in the Windy City through the end of 2023-perhaps even longer if this return visit proves to be popular."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...The Nederlander Theatre erupted in thunderous applause as the lights went down on the triumphant return of "Hamilton" to Chicago. Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical, finishing a successful run in Anchorage, Alaska, delivered an electrifying performance that left the Chicago audience in awe of its scope and magnitude. Chicago lifted "Hamilton" on its broad shoulders and has no intention of letting it down."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...This was my third opportunity to experience Lin-Manual Miranda’s masterpiece live. And I LOVED every note of it. I am forever in awe of Miranda’s genius in dusting off a founding father’s biography and telling the story in a contemporary and innovative way. The show is sung and rapped by a culturally diverse cast. Miranda’s music is a mix of head-bopping hip-hop, heart piercing soulfulness and cerebral tickling wit. He perfectly balances playfulness, history and humanity in this loving tribute to the birth of a nation."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...The one thing upon which I think we can all agree: from its martial opening beat to its whispering close, Hamilton courses with bioelectricity. Imitators will try their best, but the sheer poetic confluence of Alexander Hamilton, the man of many, many strongly worded letters, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway baby and hip-hop encyclopedia, is a fiendishly singular thing. It's uniquely alive, and how lucky we are to be alive right now to see these people in this room making it happen."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Hamilton has landed in Chicago and I was not prepared for the mania that was opening night. The line wound down State Street from the Nederlander on Randolph for people who already had tickets. It was a sold-out house and there was a buzz in the air. Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda has crafted an entirely different take on the historical musical and it is a rare jewel in an array of jukebox musicals that have been big hits on Broadway. This touring production of Hamilton is flawlessly directed by Thomas Kail, who directed the Broadway productions of Hamilton and In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda. After its three-year sitdown in Chicago from late 2016 to January 2020, Hamilton is back for another three-plus months."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...this company serves up a Hamilton that is every bit as compelling as any resident company Chicago has seen and stands up to the multiple Tony-winning original cast. Pierre Jean Gonzalez’ take on Alexander Hamilton is probably the most controlled version I’ve seen, allowing the audience to focus on the ways in which striving for success, achievement, and loss affect the “ten-dollar Founding Father without a father.” Gonzalez’ mellifluous singing voice is at times a bit less demonstrative than I’m used to in the role, but it makes songs like “It’s Quiet Uptown”—one of my personal favorites—even sadder and more emotional than before."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...“HAMILTON” has returned to Chicago, and everyone is freaking out. Thursday’s opening night performance at The James M. Nederlander Theatre attracted a buzzing full house of people eager to experience the incredibly catchy delight that is the “HAMILTON” phenomenon. So much so that the audience cheered the moment the lights went down. Then Aaron Burr started his introduction of Alexander Hamilton, and if the backs of everyone’s bopping heads could talk, they’d have said to me: “I know every single word to this song, and I love it.”"
Chicago Culture Authority - Highly Recommended
"...Now that the intense cultural hype has faded around Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic 2015 musical about the founding of the nation seen through the lens of Alexander Hamilton, the verdict is in: Hamilton holds up. In fact, it's a show for the ages, packed with killer songs and a story that will prove revelatory in new ways to future audiences as the current-events context changes."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...I heartily recommend you do not miss this second opportunity to see Hamilton, and please, if you have seen it once, do not hesitate to see it again. I also suggest you do a little advanced homework before purchasing your tickets. Everyone I have met and talked to about Hamilton has enjoyed the experience more if they were previously familiar with the lyrics. The music is fast-paced and draws heavily from hip hop (rap), as well as rhythm & blues, soul, pop, and more traditional Broadway show tunes. You will miss out if you do not have the ear for it. The "HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording" is available everywhere nationwide."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...What that sameness reveals is that "Hamilton" is such a superbly crafted show that it nonetheless remains rewarding and relevant. It is through-composed-a hip-hop opera, basically-and it is certainly easier to understand every word this way."