Producer shares why Hamilton’s first int’l tour makes its Asian premiere in Manila
Hamilton is finally here!
The first international tour of the Broadway musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda is officially making its Asian premiere in Manila tonight at the Theatre at Solaire.
The Manila season of the Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer-winning hip-hop musical about one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, is presented by Michael Cassel Group and GMG Productions.
During a presscon held ahead of the opening night, Michael Cassel, producer of the international tour, recalled how the international run came to be, with the blessing of the original Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller.
Describing Hamilton’s Asian debut as a dream come true that has been “a long time in the making,” Cassel began, “We first started talking about launching an international tour not long after the show premiered on Broadway. In fact, it was in September 2015 about a month after the show debuted back then on Broadway that I met with Jeffrey in New York City and we started talking about plans for sharing this incredible musical with audiences around the world.
“He asked me, where do we start the show? And I said the only place to start the international tour would be in the Philippines.”
Cassel said it was a “natural” decision to make the show commence in Manila because Filipino audiences love musical theater, based on the reception to past productions his company had brought here, including the most recent one, Disney’s The Lion King.
“Why Manila? And the answer is, it’s a beautiful country. It’s a great thing to do here. But most of all, you have amazing audiences that embrace musical theater. We’ve had a great joy to work with (local producer) GMG Productions over the last several years… most recently, The Lion King back in 2018. And so, it’s a natural choice that the company will be assembled for the very first time here in Manila,” he said.
He said that they felt “overwhelmed” by the Filipino fans’ response to Hamilton from the moment Miranda posted the announcement early this year.
“We’re all a little nervous but excited when we were finally able to share that post from Lin-Manuel Miranda a couple of months ago to say the show will be coming to the first stop of our international tour in Manila,” he further recalled.
“We were overwhelmed with the response that we received from the audiences here. Just the other day, a friend would say you can hear the screams throughout the country when that post went live on social media. And certainly, we feel that all the way around the world as we started pulling together this incredible cast.”
Cassel also unveiled the main cast members, gathered from productions in Australia, West End and Germany — Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton, DeAundre’ Woods as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, Darnell Abraham as George Washington and our very own Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza Hamilton.
“It’s so nice to be home,” said the now UK-based Rachelle, who originated the role in the West End production.
The singer-actress said of essaying Eliza before fellow Filipinos: “This is a dream come true for me. And I was actually telling some of my friends that back in 2017, when I did this role in the West End, I had a feeling that Hamilton would be coming to the Philippines.
“For some reason, I just had that vision. And I told myself I’m gonna do this role in the Philippines and here I am doing it in front of our kababayans, this is such a dream come true and also to be home and to be with my family.”
As for the rest of the main cast, it’s their first time in the country. Sharing their experiences and observations so far of Manila in response to a question from The STAR, Akina, who reprises the role of Angelica Schuyler from the Australian tour, said, “So far, it’s been really beautiful in our accommodation, in the theater. We’re so excited to explore the islands because we’ve heard so much.”
“But what I can say, so far, is that people are incredible. They really want to make sure you’re accommodated in any way, shape or form. And there’s such a sense of humble gratitude and an honor to be able to be of service. It’s really cool for us, I guess, for our work to be of service to people that have already made us feel welcomed,” she added.
Aaron, who also played the titular character in the Australian tour, agreed, “It’s exactly the same as I’ve been struck by how welcoming everyone is. And super polite. It’s a new thing for me. I look forward to getting out into the street and seeing more of what the Philippines has to offer.”
DeAundre, who previously portrayed Alexander Hamilton in the US National Tour, also noted why he felt connected to the audiences here.
“I come from a big family and I always really vibe with the Asians because you’re very family oriented and community driven. It’s always about the whole… and I think that’s what we’re learning in the show. Because we are asked to speak to each other, not just to Hamilton, and it’s more about retention of the soul and the spirit,” he said.
He was also surprised by the “superstar” treatment of the local fans. “We’re working through our heads like are we though, you know, you haven’t even seen us on stage,” he laughed.
The actor also shared that “my mom’s here, my girlfriend’s here. So I’m looking forward to showing them around and I’ve been loving it so far.”
For his part, Darnell, who previously played George Washington in the US National Tour, expressed, “I am just inspired by the resiliency found here in the Philippines and so this show is about resiliency. I’m really struck by the history that we were able to share that’s not just unique to the United States, but that is unique here, I also think, here in the Philippines.”
He also happily noted that he already had a sample of the music culture here.
“The music culture here is extraordinary. And that inspires me. So whenever my wife and I, we were walking and taking in the sights and sounds of Manila, I’m just struck by the culture here in music,” Darnell said.
“Someone was singing the other day at Ayala Mall, he was just so good. I think the fact that this show is very musical and there’s a rich musical history and heritage here, I think they will certainly connect quite well to the show.”
Hamilton’s first-ever international tour continues at The Theatre at Solaire until November with further extensions not possible. It will then make its Middle East premiere at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in January, 2024. More cities are expected to be announced in coming months.
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