Victoria Palace, London
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rollercoaster of a show boasts outstanding performances and charts the life of the US founding father with political passion and nimble wit
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rollercoaster of a show boasts outstanding performances and charts the life of the US founding father with political passion and nimble wit
5 /5 stars5 out of 5 stars.
A Hollywood mogul, offered a musical about America’s founding fathers, once said: “People don’t want a show with wigs.” One of the many joys of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s much-heralded musical is that it offers us history de-wigged: it’s a rollercoaster of a show in which a bare-headed, largely non-white cast capture the fervour and excitement of revolution while reminding us how much America’s identity was shaped by a buccaneering immigrant, Alexander Hamilton.
What is astonishing is how well the form fits the subject: Miranda’s use of rap, hip-hop and R&B becomes the ideal vehicle for exploring the birth of a nation.
‘This isn't colour-blind casting’: Hamilton makes its politically charged West End debut
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Hamilton, as we’re told from the outset, is “a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman” who leaves the Caribbean to become George Washington’s right-hand man, a key interpreter of the constitution and secretary of the treasury. He marries well, overcomes a sex scandal and dies in a duel with his rival Aaron Burr who is his nemesis and the show’s narrator. But, while Hamilton is the story’s pivot, he is also part of a musical that, like the nation itself, seems in perpetual motion.
Miranda’s music and lyrics combine two things that rarely go together: political passion and nimble wit. Hamilton early on tells us: “I’m just like my country. I’m young, scrappy and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot.” These lines are echoed by the whole ensemble in a terrific revolutionary anthem, Yorktown, in which the victorious American troops appropriate a traditional British ballad, The World Turned Upside Down.
Miranda’s lyrics, which include references to Shakespeare and WS Gilbert, are full of verbal dexterity. Burr, surveying the nostalgie de la boue of the Schuyler sisters, tells us: “There’s nothing rich folks love more than goin’ downtown and slummin’ it with the poor.” In a show that glories in language, “Boston” is rhymed with “cost n’” and “lost n’”. Two numbers, particularly, symbolise Miranda’s superb mental agility. George III – played by Michael Jibson as a figure of ineffable absurdity – surveys the political infighting after Washington’s resignation with unholy relish. Crying: “Jesus Christ, this will be fun,” he jigs as if, under all the royal regalia, he were a closeted rocker.
The outstanding number, however, is Burr’s The Room Where It Happens. This takes a politically complex subject: the secret deal in which Hamilton accepted the idea of Washington DC as the nation’s capital in exchange for federal control over the debts accrued by the separate states. Miranda turns it into a number of rapidly accelerating momentum about Burr’s desire to be in the room at the time of the deal – and about the mystery of history. The song, referencing Someone in a Tree from Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, shows Miranda’s deep roots in America’s musical past.
There are times in the second half when the show’s virtuosity becomes a little taxing. I’m also not sure that Miranda, who acknowledges the influence of Ron Chernow’s biography, ever fully establishes the difference between Jefferson’s vision of America as an agrarian paradise and Hamilton’s as one of urban entrepreneurship. But this is a show that, in Thomas Kail’s production and in Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography, moves with intoxicating speed and combines historical sweep with attention to detail: one tiny example is the way the coveted letter that gives Hamilton command of a battalion in the fight with the Brits passes from hand to hand like an electrified baton.
The performances also match the variety and energy of the music. Jamael Westman, not long out of drama school, invests Hamilton with immense authority, reminding us that words were always his most effective weapon and suggests a mixture of opportunist and visionary.
Giles Terera plays Burr with an envious gleam as if he were Salieri to Hamilton’s Mozart and always slightly in awe of his rival’s whirlwind success. Obioma Ugoala’s Washington, Hamilton’s surrogate father, has great gravitas, Rachelle Ann Go lends Hamilton’s wife the poignancy of the neglected and Rachel John is impressive as his adoring sister-in-law. But the funniest performances, aside from Jibson’s English king, come from Jason Pennycooke who doubles as a patriotic Lafayette and a spring-heeled Jefferson in a maroon maxi who jives and jumps with glee as Hamilton’s fortunes fade.
How Hamilton the Musical became a smash hit
January 2015
Hamilton, a new musical written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, has its first performances off-Broadway at the Public theater in New York. Its subject is the US founding father who was the first secretary of the Treasury.
February 2015
As the show opens officially, it wins praise from critics, particularly for its innovative blend of musical styles, from rap to operetta. In her four-star review, the Guardian’s Alexis Soloski calls the show 'brash, nimble, historically engaged and startlingly contemporary'.
August 2015
After selling out its run at the Public, the show opens on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers theatre and there is huge demand for tickets.
February 2016
The original Broadway cast recording wins a Grammy award for best musical theatre album.
March 2016
Miranda visits the White House to perform songs from the musical and a video of him freestyling in the Rose Garden with President Barack Obama goes viral. First lady Michelle Obama calls the show “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life”.
April 2016
Hamilton wins the Pulitzer prize for drama.
June 2016
The musical breaks records, winning 11 Tony awards – at a ceremony that takes place after news breaks of a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Miranda performs a sonnet in praise of his wife and son, ending with the words: “Now fill the world with music, love and pride.”
July 2016
Miranda stops performing in the show to pursue other opportunities, including starring in a sequel to Mary Poppins. A spoof version of the musical, Spamilton, opens in New York.
October 2016
A production of Hamilton opens in Chicago and runs concurrently with the Broadway version.
November 2016
Vice-president-elect Mike Pence sees the show in New York. From the stage, actor Brandon Victor Dixon addresses him directly, saying: “We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us.” On Twitter, Donald Trump condemns their “terrible behaviour” and says he hears the show is “highly overrated”.
January 2017
The first cast members are revealed for a West End production of Hamilton.
December 2017
The show opens to five-star reviews at the newly renovated Victoria Palace theatre in London.
March 2018
The London production of Hamilton gets 13 Olivier nominations, making it the most nominated show in the history of the awards.
Yes it is. Worth the wait. Yes it does. Speak powerfully to British audiences. Yes it has. Changed, expanded, given new wings to musical theatre. But no you can’t. Get a ticket before a mooted next booking period opens. Unless you win the daily lottery. Keep trying.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton – and it’s his all the way through, book, lyrics and music – is made up of revolution and firsts. As befits a show about one of America’s founding fathers: Alexander Hamilton, as suddenly everyone knows, was the first Secretary of the Treasury, the man on the 10 dollar bill. The hype has been so overwhelming that audiences go in groaning with knowledge about its breakthroughs. About the seizing of the stage by street music – rap and hip-hop alongside R&B, soul, Britpop and rock opera. About the unlikeliness of Hamilton, hitherto a relatively uncelebrated statesman, as musical hero. About the beautiful elision of America past and present, with the white founding fathers – and mothers – played by mostly black and brown actors.
Above all, they know the words. Which is another departure. This must be the first time that people have gone into a new show – as opposed to a jukebox musical, where the point is familiarity – having got the lyrics by heart. The test used to be that you came out able to hum a tune. Hamilton proves that agile words can be a major motor. Just as words drove Hamilton, himself (played by impressive recent Rada graduate Jamael Westman), one of the most nimble of speakers. His ally-turned-antagonist Aaron Burr (powerful Giles Terera) constantly advises him to “talk less, smile more” .
Could we ever come up with something as original and necessary?
Hamilton expands your heart and concentrates your brain by deliciously stretching your ears. By the sheer surprise of a vocabulary which jumps from “diuretics” to “two-party system” to Macbeth’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”. By the comic spikiness of its rhymes: squalor and scholar, anarchy and panicky, “Can we confer, Burr?”. By the way it forces you to listen questioningly, as it drills into and splits apart words – “phe-nom-e-non”. The inspiration may be the making of America and the drafting of its constitution, but the effect is universal. One of the guaranteed huge responses is to Hamilton and Lafayette high-fiving as they declare: “Immigrants! We get the job done!”
Is there anything wrong with Miranda’s show and Thomas Kail’s direction? Well, it is perhaps out of character to end on a relatively orthodox ballad. I’m not keen on the vulva-revealing tight jodphurs (worn with corsets and boots). Andy Blankenbuehler’s muscular choreography sends characters seamlessly from civilian to military life but is not transporting.
Lin-Manuel Miranda: ‘Hamilton is an insane idea, but the story works’
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Still, nothing can detract from this marvellous mashing of political and musical history. Michael Jibson’s petulant King George, a nursery-rhyme monarch with crosspatch face and plush crown, stamps his foot as he tunefully, Elton John-ishly, accuses unfaithful America. Christine Allado, Rachelle Ann Go and Rachel John belt out, full-throttle, the destiny of America’s women – in the manner of Destiny’s Child. Wrangles between Jason Pennycooke’s Jefferson (deftly doubling as Lafayette) are recounted in battle rap.
Hamilton is “the room where it happens”. Miranda’s show asks “who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” – and answers the query not with a who, but a what: a musical of infinite dexterity.
It leaves two questions for Brits. Could we ever come up with something as original and necessary? And will we ever have a government – just look at the Obama hosting of Miranda at the White House – who would take time out to look at it, or recognise the talent if they did?
•Hamilton is at the Victoria Palace, London, until 28 July
Using an electric mixer instead of a manual mixer will result in better textures in your whipped creams, dough, mousses, and pretty much any other food item that requires mixing. It's not just about texture and consistency, though. It is also about convenience. An electric mixer is one of those kitchen tools that you think you don't really need until you use one. Then, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one, especially if you bake often.
When researching which mixer to buy, the first thing you'll probably notice is that there are two different types to choose from: hand mixers and stand mixers**. The best choice for you will come down to a few factors, including how often you bake, what you like to cook, and your storage and budget limitations.
Hand mixers are considerably smaller and more portable than their self-standing brethren. They take up a fraction of the space, and you can easily store them in any kitchen cabinet. They are also the more affordable option of the two. One can often find a good quality hand mixer for less than $100, while a good quality stand mixer can easily cost several hundred.
Most people find hand mixers easier to clean and less cumbersome to deal with than stand mixers. To clean a hand mixer, simply eject the whisks, rinse them off in the sink, and wipe down the unit with a damp towel. Then toss whatever mixing bowl you used into the dishwasher. Stand mixers require the use of a dedicated bowl that comes with the mixer. No matter how little batter or whipped cream you are making, you must still use the large, included bowl. The main unit of a stand mixer also requires more laborious cleaning, as it can be difficult to get to the underside of the head, which tends to get very dirty.
Stand mixers are not without their benefits, however. Since they are hands-free, they allow you to multi-task. You can work on preparing other food items while the machine mixes your dough, or you can incorporate additional ingredients without having to pause the whipping process. Stand mixers are also more powerful, which makes them better for foods with a very thick consistency, like bread and pizza dough. Many self-standing models allow for the attachment of pasta makers and meat grinders, as well, making them a them a more versatile addition to your kitchen.
For most people, virtual reality is still an idea, not a tangible piece of technology. It’s been well over a year since the release of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but the high cost of both the headsets and a PC with the giddyup to power them has kept the pair relatively niche. Sony’s headset, PlayStation VR, effectively cuts that barrier in half: A new PlayStation 4 and a headset bundle that includes some mandatory accessories is the first non-mobile VR option to cost less than $1,000. Plus, Sony has sold than 60 million consoles as of August, 2017, so there’s a much larger number of players with PS4 consoles than users with VR-capable PCs.
Is it worth it?
In a word, yes. While PSVR offers limited power and options compared to Rift and Vive, it is still a worthy “full VR” experience, offering the kind of virtual reality that can trick you into thinking you’re somewhere else. You can look over the edge of a cliff, dive at the bottom of the ocean, or even fly.
Out of the box
Setting up the PlayStation VR headset through a PlayStation 4, whether or not the console has already been connected, is relatively painless. The device comes with a standalone box, officially referred to as a “processor unit,” which serves as the hub for the PS4, the TV, and the headset. You must also connect the PlayStation Camera, which comes bundled with the hardware, and plugs into a dedicated port in the back of the console. There are clear instructions in the box to guide you, plus a couple intuitive guides built into the hardware itself.
There’s also a $450 bundle, which includes the headset, camera, the PlayStation VR Worlds game, and two PlayStation Move motion controllers. Most games are played using the DualShock 4 controller, but some games can use the Move controllers and others require it. In general, the VR experience is heightened when using motion controllers instead of a standard gamepad, so we recommend picking up the $450 option if you don’t have any spare Move controllers lying around.
PlayStation VR games have the potential to make you excited, uncomfortable, or even scared.
Once unpacked, you may notice that having “full VR,” at home makes a horrible mess out of whatever space you devote to it. While the PS4 console has a pleasant design that doesn’t necessarily stand out among a cable box and other set-top devices, the PSVR hardware is an expansive mess of cords and cables. You must plug HDMI and USB cables into PSVR’s standalone “processor box.” From there, another HDMI cable must go to the TV and two cable must plug into the PSVR. Plus, the processor box requires a discrete power source.
Plus you have to charge a DualShock 4 and (possibly) two Move controllers. This is not a new problem for players who have been using the Move for years, but with the PSVR using one of the USB slots, a charging station of some sort is essential for both storage and managing power. Sony provided us with an officially licensed stand made by Power A, which charged all three controllers and held the headset itself. While it reduced clutter, it’s also another big cumbersome item to put somewhere.
Putting it on
The PSVR headset itself feels well built. The headset itself is made of heavy plastic, with padded bands on the front and rear where the headset presses against your head. At 610 grams (just over 1.3 pounds), it has weight, but you’re unlikely to feel burdened by it as you play. The rubber sides of the headset and nose guard effectively block outside light when the headset is adjusted properly, though they also make the inside of the headset incredibly hot.
Putting on the headset can be a bit tricky. You must extend the back strap over their head, then tighten it around their cranium with a twisting dial. Then you can adjust the proximity of the lens to your face by pressing a button underneath the front of the headset. Finally, you can make final tweaks to the vertical angle using the same front button.
Oh, and at some point you should probably put on your headphones. While you can simply listen to audio coming out of the TV, you should plug some headphone into the jack on the PSVR’s power panel, a small row of buttons on the cable coming out of the device. The headset comes with a set of stereo earbuds, but we recommend using a game headset or other over-the-ear headphones to maximize the experience.
All of these steps make the headset fit well on your head and stay in place, even when you’re whipping your head around while playing. It also does a great job blocking all outside light, allowing you to focus solely on your game.
It’s also a bit of an ordeal. There’s a tutorial that walks you through the process that first time the headset is turned on, and it can be replayed from the PSVR settings menu, so you won’t ever be stuck not knowing how to wear it, but it is a lot of steps and you need to do all of them every time. If the headset doesn’t fit perfectly, games will appear blurry and text will be difficult to read: The added strain on your eyes can make games harder to understand and cause headaches.
The kind of VR you want
It should come as no surprise that the PlayStation VR headset does not have the technical capabilities of its full VR counterparts. The headset sports a pair of 960xRGBx1080 RGB displays — one for each eye — and runs off the PS4’s AMD Radeon GPU, which is far less powerful than the minimum required specs for a Vive- or Rift-compatible PC. It also has a 100-degree field of view, which is slightly smaller than the Rift and Vive.
Many games showed little to no signs of the dreaded “screen door effect.”
While it can’t compare to those two on a spec sheet, PlayStation VR nonetheless achieves that feeling of complete immersion that comes from a “full VR” device, as opposed to mobile-powered options like Google Cardboard. PlayStation VR games have the potential to make you excited, uncomfortable, or even scared. By surpassing that threshold, PlayStation VR automatically propels itself into a very small number of headsets that can deliver the kind of virtual reality fans have been waiting for. In its theater mode, which presents the action on a virtual “screen” in front players, you can also watch 3D Blu-ray video.
How do you upgrade your ship in starbound. Even a new place to interact with NPCs!Some of these aren’t all that great, to be honest.
In general, the fidelity and quality of the PSVR experience varies wildly depending on what game you’re playing. Players who buy PSVR expecting to play picture-perfect adaptation of your favorite PlayStation franchises will be very disappointed. Games that attempt to create intricately detailed character models, such as Batman: Arkham VR, tend to suffer from the dreaded “screen door” effect, and appear very grainy.
On the other hand, many games work within the console’s limitations and showed little to no sign of pixelation. These games tend to be smaller in size and scope. That, too, works to their benefit, because they don’t tax your ability to process VR. While some games and demos suggest you will be able to adapt and play for increasingly long stretches of time, you should not expect to play any VR game as long as you play conventional video games.
The same goes for the headset’s ability to potentially induce nausea. After playing 10 games, plus a variety of a release-day-ready demos, it does not seem like the hardware itself makes you sick.
Some games, on the other hand, are less forgiving. Most games did not induce nausea on those of us who tested the device, but a couple games did make us feel queasy. They were first-person games that allowed us to strafe, or move sideways at full speed with no friction or impediment. This type of movement, which is not natural, seemed to have an almost universal negative effect on our stomachs.
Stay in your box! The camera can’t see you
There are other technical limitations as well. The PlayStation Camera has a very small and specific area where it can effectively track the movement of the PSVR headset and Move controllers. You can sit or stand, but if you lean too far forward or stretch your arms out too wide, the camera will lose track of you, often leading to a jarring disconnect between your body and the screen. Motion-centric games like Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, which benefit from the HTC Vive’s room-scaling technology, can feel constrained and clunky without the ability to move around much.
The one benefit the PlayStation Camera seems to convey over the Vive and Rift set-ups is that it requires a slightly less square footage. Like all camera-and-sensor based devices, including VR headsets and the Xbox One’s Kinect body tracker, PSVR requires a large open play area. PSVR technically requires 6.2’ x 9.8’ feet (width x length) of free space, but since you are sitting and not moving around, you can shave off a few inches with minimal impact.
Your TV becomes a social screen
PlayStation VR’s most distinctive feature may its “social screen,” a mirrored version of what the player wearing the headset is seeing. While the Rift and Vive can output the same image to a PC monitor, the fact that many users will have their PS4, and thus PSVR, connected to television in a public space makes PSVR a better VR showpiece and group activity.
While the social screen does output at a lower resolution than the PS4 does under normal conditions, what the screen shows generally looks very similar to what’s shown in the headset. It’s only on the PlayStation 4 home screen that the device’s reduced output becomes clear.
PSVR is for gamers
It’s important to keep in mind that PlayStation VR is a peripheral for the PS4, not a platform. Some familiarity with the console and controller is expected. The Rift and Vive require a PC to operate, but both devices have dedicated menus, methods for control input, and storefronts. PlayStation VR, on the other hand, is completely integrated into the PlayStation Network, and most of its games use either the PS4’s DualShock 4 controller or previously released PlayStation Move motion controllers. There is no special PSVR menu, or even any distinction between VR and non-VR games on the screen.
If you want to try full VR in your home, PlayStation VR will do that for you for the best price.
This distinction may seem semantic — there’s a good chance that many people interested in PSVR already own a PS4. People who are not familiar with PlayStation — or video games in general — will likely have trouble navigating the system-level console menus and playing many games.
There is a certain amount of jank in even the most polished VR experiences in 2016, and PSVR is no exception, but the bar is clearly higher than on Oculus and the Steam (Vive) VR game stores. A fairly steady stream of games have been released since launch, including the shooter Farpoint, so you have plenty of options to choose from.
Warranty information
PlayStation VR includes a one-year limited liability warranty from the manufacturer. This does not include damage you do by dropping or damaging it.
Our TakeEven with everything it does to make virtual reality more accessible and affordable, PlayStation VR isn’t for everyone. It’s still several hundred dollars, requires a fair amount of set-up, and there are still only a handful of games that run smoothly, with no technical issues.
But if you haven’t used VR much, the PlayStation VR will blow you away. It will make you feel like you’re moving while you’re standing still, and turn your living room into far away worlds.
Our take
If you want to try full VR in your home, PlayStation VR will do that for you for the best price. You may not be able to walk around freely in virtual reality like you can on the HTC Vive, but that doesn’t make any less satisfying.
Is there a better alternative?
Consumer Reports
On a purely technical level, the HTC Vive remains the gold standard for hobby-grade virtual reality. With a higher resolution display and room-scale motion tracking, it can do things that PlayStation VR simply cannot. However, the HTC Vive costs roughly double what HTC Vive does. If you want to want to spend less than $1,000 dollars on VR setup (headset and PC/console), PSVR really is your only option.
In October, 2017, Sony announced it will release an updated PSVR headset with support for HDR pass-through and integrated stereo headphones. Sony has not set a North American release date for the new headset, and we haven’t tested it yet, but it may improve some of our issues with the hardware.
How long will it last?
There’s no way to know, really. This headset is the first of its kind and there are currently no plans for a next-generation model. The most important factor in determining the lifecycle of any video game platform is developer support. That support will be, at least in part, determined by hardware sales.
Should you buy it?
Yes. PlayStation VR has a slate of fun games that offer a new type of entertainment. Unless you’ve used an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, you have not experienced what PlayStation VR has to offer, and you should. Virtual reality, generally speaking, will blow your mind.
If you do not own a PlayStation 4, the PlayStation 4 Pro does offer a slightly better experience, with better draw distance and particle effects in certain games, but it isn’t a drastic improvement.
Updated by Gabe Gurwin on 10-04-2017: Updated with information on updated model with HDR pass-through.
The stand mixer has been a staple in the domestic and commercial kitchen for well over eighty years. For those of you who enjoy baking, cooking, or just plain kitchen decor, the stand mixer is an excellent addition to your household.
A mixer itself comes in many shapes and sizes, but the stand mixer must include a mixing bowl, a motor, and a stand of some sort. It is not to be confused with an immersion blender or a hand mixer. A blender of any kind blends ingredients into liquids, while a mixer evenly mixes the ingredients. The hand mixer and immersion blender are both handheld, while the stand mixer remains stationary. Lastly, the hand mixer will not have the power to mix thick batters or knead dough.
While the stand mixer performs similar functions as a hand mixer, it differs in design. The advantage of the stand is that it frees up your hands to tackle another culinary adventure while the mixer operates. The complaints from fatigue and inconvenience of the hand mixer has lead many consumers to switch over to a stand mixer.
This is particularly true in commercial baking scenarios where large volumes of baked goods are produced. Considering the large motor size, the stand mixer is the workhorse of the kitchen. Also, the sheer weight of the unit helps prevent the stand from 'walking' when it mixes, making it an anchor on the table.