US history lesson a fast and furious treat

IT'S over 10 years since the musical Hamilton took the world by storm. During that time, it has cleaned up on awards, gaining just about every prestigious one going.

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So it's a real treat to have this blockbusting show here in our very own Theatre Royal Plymouth. The audiences consistently think so.

Every night so far, they've gone wild at the end of the performance. The cast has received a standing ovation as the entire auditorium rise from their seats, raising the roof with clapping and whistling to acknowledge the electrifying performance.

Hamilton isn't your usual type of musical. It's a sung and rapped biographical musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a book, music and lyrics inspired by the book, Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. Miranda is a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Olivier Award winning songwriter, actor, producer and director, creator and original star of New York's Broadway production of Hamilton. With that string of successes, it's hardly surprising to describe Hamilton, currently showing in Plymouth, as brilliant.

We've all learned about the American Revolutionary War, when the USA won the war against Britain, declaring independence on July 4, 1776. We will all have heard of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others, who were instrumental in the political and diplomatic aspects of the revolution.