Margareta Pagano: Hamilton proves West End is a star on the global stage

If you haven’t seen Hamilton, the stunning hip-hop musical about the 18th-century founding father of the US, Alexander Hamilton, then you must. Go. Now. This minute if you can.

I saw the show last Saturday and would go again tomorrow if I could: that’s how good it is. You may have to spend a month’s salary on tickets as they cost an arm and two legs and you may have to wait a couple of months to see it but, trust me, the price is worth every lost limb.

It’s not often reality exceeds the hype but Hamilton is one of those rare moments: the musical is a sensational feast of rap, hip-hop, song and dance for all the senses and uplifting for the soul.

So a curtsey from me to the brilliant Sir Cameron Mackintosh for having the vision to bring Hamilton, written and conceived by the genius Lin-Manuel Miranda — surely the Cole Porter or Irving Berlin of our age — from Broadway to London. Even bigger thanks should go to Mackintosh for his magical transformation of the 100-year-old Victoria Palace Theatre, where Hamilton is being staged, which was the last great variety house created in London by architect Frank Matcham in 1911.

It’s no surprise to discover Mackintosh overran his budget for the theatre’s renovations by about £25 million — he is famed for his obsession with every detail, from loo-roll holders to lighting. It shows: the theatre is a masterpiece with a sumptuous golden auditorium and London’s biggest stage.

Spending money on his theatres is something Mackintosh does lavishly. Over the years, the theatre impresario has spent £200 million of his considerable fortune investing in his nine West End theatres. And he’s not stopping. This year he has plans to modernise several of his other theatres: Queen’s — where Les Misérables is being staged — Wyndham’s, Noël Coward and Gielgud, so they too can last another 100 years.

He’s not the only one. Cats creator Andrew, Lord Lloyd-Webber of the Really Useful Group/LW Theatre, is also putting money back into his theatre estate, planning a £45 million overhaul of Drury Lane’s Theatre Royal, perhaps London’s most famous theatre. Another great producer, Sonia Friedman, who brought Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to the West End, is also storming Broadway with her creations.

However you look at it, London is enjoying a golden age of showbiz with dozens of award-winning shows, and theatre attendance at record levels.

The theatrical sector is big bucks but often underestimated by policy-makers: as well as the home-grown income and employment created, these shows and their casts are global ambassadors when they tour overseas.

It’s time to shout about this success a bit more. In 2017, there were more than 15 million visits to London theatres — more than there were to Premier League matches. This was the highest since records began in 1986. Revenues were also up at £705 million.