Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...If you've been shut out of the main dance like Barbra and you can snag a ducat to this one (buy the cheaper seats, there are no bad ones), I guarantee plenty of fun among like-minded "Hamilton" obsessives. If that's you, or you would like it to be you, "Spamilton" really is a blast."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...In addition, given the gargantuan talent of the Chicago performers in the show, you can only wonder what might have been going on in the minds of the actual Chicago “Hamilton” cast members who were part of Sunday’s opening night audience. If any further proof need be offered that the talent pool in this city is more than ready to perform the “primary source material” this inspired spoof should be it."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...To serve up this satire, Alessandrini and his co-producers have assembled a first-rate ensemble of actors (almost all of them from the Chicago area), whose prowess equals their counterparts performing a few miles south in Chicago's legit "Hamilton.""
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Part celebration and part roast, the production features a stellar Chicago-sourced cast who belt out show-tune parodies that, alongside expected jokes about the difficulty of getting Hamilton tickets and the cascading density of its plot, throw fiercely witty shade and air the sort of grievances about industry antics that normally crop up at cast parties a few drinks in."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Spamilton puts Miranda himself (as embodied by the talented young actor Yando Lopez) at the center of a Hamilton-esque narrative about an up-and-comer determined to save Broadway with his writing. The parody is often spot-on in terms of Miranda's musical idiom and his show's highly identifiable aesthetic, and gets in some juicy digs at Miranda's media ubiquity and publications' oversaturated, click-hungry coverage of the Hamilton phenomenon (which, uh, guilty?)."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...No question, Spamilton was catnip to a hellishly hooting opening-night claque for whom every wig change was a license to guffaw, chortle, titter and bleat. It’s too bad that their forced frenzy won’t be around to console disappointed audience members paying whopping prices ($59-$99) for a snapshot of scattershot silliness. When the New York Post called this “the next best thing to seeing Hamilton,” it is clear that Spamilton has become its own dramatic irony. Suddenly we sense what the real mockery should have been: Apples are oranges after all."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Back in time, theater-lovers watched parodies of their favorite Broadway shows in an intimate setting, on a small stage, known as "Forbidden Broadway". Later, Monty Python brought us the amazing "Spamalot" which parodied "Camelot", a play that according to the stage notes, J.F.K and Jackie listened to every night. Play it forward to today and rumor has it, that the Obama's did likewise with Broadway hit "Hamilton", and so, a new parody was written called "Spamilton" which opened in New York for a short run and has been running for some time"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This is an absolute must-see Chicago production, whether or not audiences have actually seen a production of “Hamilton” or simply worn out their two-disc CD original cast album listening to it. Anyone familiar with Broadway, or who just plain loves musical theatre, will roar with laughter at Alessandrini’s luminous writing, his entire flashy production and his incredibly incandescent local cast. Much like the musical phenomenon it parodies, it’s a show that begs to be seen more than once, if only to appreciate the craftsmanship and talent to be found on the Royal George Cabaret Stage. Enthusiastic audiences, who continually burst into standing ovations throughout the 90-minute performance, will keep this hit running for a long time. Theatergoers who head to N. Halsted will thrill, once again, to be in the room where it happened."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...what I did absorb was brilliant satire performed with incredible verbal facility and stamina by a stunning group of five local thespians, supplemented occasionally by a guest star."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...This show may be a goof on “Hamilton” but the talent on the stage is seriously great. Lopez, Donterrio Johnson, Adam LaSalle (piano and King), Michelle Lauto, Eric Andrew Lewis, Yando Lopez , David Robbins beautifully mimic their Tony-award winning counterparts. Lewis commands the stage as Burr. Johnson does Daveed Diggs’ hair and rapping justice. And LaSalle has a standout number as the King singing about the straight take-over in theatre. This ensemble is sublime!"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...It's fair to consider Spamilton akin to a "special features" disc in a boxed DVD set. So the greater one's Broadway IQ, the greater that patron's enjoyment. But there's no caveat to the talent and wit put forth in this celebrity roast."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Advertising itself as the "second hottest ticket in town," Spamilton, the musical parody of the broadway smash hit, Hamilton, has arrived, much like its bigger brother, in Chicago. The spoof, which predominantly parodies songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-award-winning musical, is penned by Gerard Alessandrini, known for his incisive and insightful satirical musical parody series, Forbidden Broadway. Opening to a packed and boisterous crowd, Alessandrini's witty creation packed an impressive arsenal of humor into its 85-minute running time."
The Hawk Chicago - Not Recommended
"...It would be one thing if Spamilton took itself less seriously - but when you're saying Book of Mormon lacks wit, you better not throw away your shot to prove that you can do better. And at $89 a pop to get into the room where it happens, I'd recommend staying at home and entering the Hamilton lottery again instead."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...While SPAMILTON is not a parody of the actual Hamilton show, it does have it’s funny moments in parodying songs and adds in some satirical comments about Broadway as a whole. So when walking into this show, think supplement, not substitute. SPAMILTON is a fresh take on Forbidden Broadway and a solid 85 minutes of your life well-spent in the theater."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"..."Spamilton" is a very high-level parody of the most successful Broadway show in history. Mostly light-hearted, it nonetheless delivers plenty of witty thrusts at "Hamilton", Lin-Manuel-Miranda, and all the hype around that show while also treating the audience to great music, dancing and a lot of laughs."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...It makes sense that the biggest musical of all time (and by “all time” I mean until something else comes around) is being parodied by none other than “Forbidden Broadway” creator Gerard Alessandrini. Sure, it might be easy to update Hamilton’s opening number to the present time but not many can keep the jokes going for a solid eighty minutes. Enter Alessandrini who has been doing parody since Lin-Manuel was in diapers."
