Early on Sunday 19 September, a cold and rainy morning, a group of Sixth Formers were preparing to go on a trip to the Westend to see Hamilton the musical.

The idea came about earlier in the year during a drama lesson, where the class were having a discussion about what a great experience it would be to go and see Hamilton on the Westend.
Drama Teacher, Mrs Madden, managed to get tickets and a group of five students (Amy, Samih, Ethan, Martha and Jack) and five staff members were off on a minibus down to London!

The trip down was full of excited, energetic and enthusiastic students and staff; who filled the bus with renditions of songs from the musical.

Once there, the group quickly became awestruck at the ornate design of the theatre and the stage setup. They also had some of the best seats, being only three rows from the front, meaning they experienced some of the best views! 

Favourite parts of the performance by students included;

The portrayal of Samuel Seabury who everyone felt had excellent expressions not only displayed visually, but also in the tone of  his voice which gave the students a clear picture of what was happening.

The portrayal of King George was brilliant, with the actor playing both sarcastic and controlling characteristics at the same time particularly in the performance of You’ll Be Back.

The performance in Yorktown, which is a song about the end of the American Revolution. Students and staff enjoyed the music, lighting and dancing from the Actors. The students also commented on how the lighting was synced with the fast pace of the music, which gave them a better idea of what was happening on stage as well as giving them an insight into how a battle may play out.

The performance in What Did I Miss, a song about Thomas Jefferson returning to America after spending time in France. The extravagance that was pulled off to show the contrast to the start of the musical impressed the students, as well as just the portrayal of Jefferson and the persona he put forward. 

The students loved the variety of riffs which all of the Actors could perform, as well as the outstanding harmonies. There were so many unique traits that all of the Actors brought to the performance!

It is safe to say that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of things that Sixth Formers and staff loved about the performance.

After the performance had concluded, the students were pleasantly surprised to meet some of the cast who came over to talk to them. Students had photos with the Actors and spoke about how much it meant having a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the show and meet the cast! The Actors were delighted to have NCW students at the performance.

There was a unanimous agreement amongst the group that the current London cast “could give the original cast a run for their money”!

A big thank you to the staff at the Victoria Palace Theatre who helped the running of the trip go very smoothly, as well as the cast for putting on an absolutely amazing performance for everyone to enjoy.