The show, directed by Alessandrini, had its first preview on July 19, 2016, and opened on September 8, 2016, at New York's Triad Theatre. Originally scheduled to run 18 performances, it was extended at the Triad until May 28, 2017. It moved on June 2, 2017, to the 47th Street Theatre, near the Richard Rodgers Theatre where Hamilton is presented. The production ran into 2018.[1]
A Chicago production of Spamilton opened at the Royal George Theatre on March 12, 2017. A production ran at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City from November 5, 2017, to January 7, 2018, shortly before a national tour.[2] US tours continued into 2024.[3]
A production played in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory running from July 24 (previews from July 12) to September 15, 2018.[4]
The show has the most racially diverse cast of any of Alessandrini's productions.[6]
Critical response
Spamilton received positive reviews from critics. In his review of the Off-Broadway production, Ben Brantley in The New York Times called it a "smart, silly and often convulsively funny thesis, performed by a motor-mouthed cast that is fluent in many tongues".[7]Frank Scheck, in his review of the Off-Broadway production for The Hollywood Reporter, wrote the musical "is so infectiously fun that it could easily run as long as its inspiration."[8]
Marilyn Stasio in reviewing the Off-Broadway production in Variety, wrote, "Like the original show, the pants are tight, the boots are shiny, the bosoms are uplifting and the vests show just enough chest to look manly. Switch-hitting as director/choreographer, Alessandrini assigns his performers signature moves that make each character look authentic, if ever-so-slightly goofy. Getting those physical details right lays the groundwork for the witty character impersonations to come."[9]
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail both attended a performance. Miranda praised the parody, saying, "I laughed my brains out."[10][11]