Multi Tony-Award Winning Musical Hamilton Arrives in Abu Dhabi

In the latest step for Hamilton’s steady domination of the world, wowing even the most musical-theatre-averse among us (this writer shamelessly finds himself included in said group), the globally popular award-winning Broadway musical has touched down in the Middle East for the firm time, gracing the stage of the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi for a four-week run. The genre-bending production has had near-unprecedented international success, and this month-long stint in the Emirates is proof that the Hamilton train is showing no signs of slowing down.

The show’s fame is largely thanks to its unusual take on musical theatre. The usual over-sung vibrato-vomit of musical theatre (did this author mention he wasn’t a fan?) is supplemented with a punchy rap and hip-hop style, an off-kilter but welcome contrast to the 18th-century setting of the story. It is a musical of contrasts in more ways than one, with a thought-provokingly diverse cast for a production set in an era of vast racial disparities and violence.

The drama-filled story of Hamilton is a historical manifestation of the American Dream. The founding father, once referred to as “the original immigrant,” was born out of wedlock in the West Indies in 1757. In the newly born country of the United States of America, Hamilton became its first secretary of the treasury at the age of 32.

As is evident from the style and plot, Hamilton does not fear breaking the mould, and its first appearance in the Middle East is a chance for yet more people to experience the show in the flesh, and understand why it has been such a phenomenon.

Hamilton will run until the 11th of February at the Etihad Arena, with ticket prices starting at AED 180.