A year after we all became obsessed with the live stage recording of Hamilton, the hit musical is about to open in Australia. And yes, we are already listening to the soundtrack on repeat.
The musical, which became a cultural phenomenon when it first debuted on Broadway in 2015, will officially kick off at the Sydney Lyric Theatre next week. And thanks to COVID, it's the first performance of Hamilton in the world since March last year.
Image: Supplied.
If you haven't seen it yet, Hamilton, which was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, follows the rise and fall of one of the Founding Fathers of America, Alexander Hamilton, and is inspired by his 2004 biography by Ron Chernow.
But Hamilton is far from your ordinary musical. The Broadway hit is a mash-up of hip-hop, rap and musical theatre.
Before opening night kicks off on March 27, here's everything we know about the Aussie cast and where to follow them on Instagram (because we know you'll want to have a sticky-beak).
Jason Arrow plays the one and only Alexander Hamilton.
Musical fans and history buffs will know that Hamilton was one of America’s Founding Fathers. Born into poverty in the British West Indies in the 1750s, Hamilton went on to become George Washington's assistant, author of the Federalist papers and the first secretary of the US Treasury. Oh, and he also features on the US $10 bill.
Jason Arrow is no stranger to the theatre. He graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2016 and has appeared in Disney’s Aladdin and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He also landed a role in TV docudrama series Deadly Women.
Jason, who was born in South Africa, was in Melbourne lockdown when his agent called him to tell him he landed the lead role in Hamilton.
"My agent called and said I should probably sit down... he said they wanted me to play Alexander Hamilton. I think I was speechless for about 10 minutes. In many ways, I am still completely speechless," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"It feels amazing. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity. It's equal parts scary and equal parts excitement."
You can follow Jason on Instagram here.
Lyndon Watts plays Aaron Burr aka the guy who shot Hamilton. Aside from their infamous duel, Burr is also remembered as the third Vice President of the United States, when he served under President Thomas Jefferson.
Lyndon Watts is another WAAPA graduate and has landed roles in productions like Anything Goes, West Side Story, Sweet Charity and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
He's also appeared in Carols by Candlelight, and the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
You can follow Lyndon on Instagram here.
Chloé Zuel plays the incredible Eliza Hamilton. Aside from being the wife of Alexander Hamilton, Eliza was a successful philanthropist and co-founder of Graham Windham, the first private orphanage in New York City.
Chloé Zuel has been performing professionally for the last 13 years, so she has quite a few shows under her belt.
She's played Catherine of Aragon in Six the Musical, Anita in West Side Story, Pilar in Legally Blonde and Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors, among other productions.
She's also worked as a lead singer across Australia and the world, including two years at Universal Studios Japan.
Oh, and she's also a qualified pilates instructor.
You can follow Chloé on Instagram here.
Akina Edmonds plays the eldest Schuyler sister, Angelica Schuyler, who ends up exchanging some flirty letters with her brother-in-law Alexander Hamilton.
You may recognise Akina Edmonds from The Voice. Akina competed on the show's eighth season in 2019.
In an interview with Stuff, Akina explained that she signed up for the show to challenge herself and "do something different to what I've been doing the last 10 years".
"I hope it scares me and gives me an idea and insight into who I am as an artist and who I'm not," she told the publication at the time.
Aside from singing, the kiwi performer has also stared in shows like Sister Act, Hairspray the Musical, and Disney's The Lion King.
You can follow Akina on Instagram here.
Matu Ngaropo plays the first President of the United States, George Washington. As well as serving two terms as the president, Washington was also the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. But that's a history lesson for another day.
Matu is a New Zealand-Māori actor who's graced both the screen and the stage. He's appeared in the soap opera Korero Mai, comedy series Seven Periods With Mr. Gormsby, hospital drama Shortland Street, and the feature film Whina.
When it comes to theatre, he's kept himself just as busy, having appeared in Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Disney’s The Lion King, Macbeth, and more.
You can follow Matu on Instagram here.
Victory Ndukwe plays French military officer Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President and second Vice President of the United States.
Victory started out as a musician before moving into modelling and acting. He's appeared in productions like Festen, Mr Burns, The Flick and Ragtime.
Speaking to Time Out, Victory said he almost gave up hope on Hamilton after 10 auditions.
"You would self-tape and send them to the US to look at it, and they would send you two pages of notes and say, 'Do it again'. You would do another one, and then they’ll send you another two pages of notes... It got to a point where I was thinking, 'Am I gonna make this? What else do they want? I’m giving them everything. There’s nothing left'," he told the publication.
But in the end, he finally got the call.
"I had given up and forgotten about it," he told the publication. "So when I got the call, I was literally shocked. I was properly astonished."
You can follow Victory on Instagram here.
Shaka Cook plays both Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the musical. James is the fourth President of the United States, while Hercules is a friend of Alexander Hamilton who works as a spy in favour of the American Revolution.
Shaka Cook graduated from National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 2012 and has appeared in productions like Storm Boy, Jasper Jones and The Wind in the Willows. He's also landed roles on TV before, including Operation Buffalo, Black Comedy, and The Broken Shore.
You can follow Shaka on Instagram here.
Marty Alix is also wearing two hats, playing both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. John is one of Hamilton's closest friends while Philip is his son.
Marty Alix is an actor, singer and dancer.
You may have seen him in productions like Bring it On In the Heights, Rent, and Spamalot.
You can follow Marty on Instagram here.
Elandrah Eramiha plays youngest Schuyler sister, Peggy Shulyer. She also plays Maria Reynolds, who Hamilton has an affair with.
RnB fans may recognise Elandrah Eramiha from the Urban/RnB duo 90/10, alongside James Elmer. The duo have released two EPs so far.
Outside of music, Elandrah has appeared in Memphis the Musical, Bring It On, and Disney’s Aladdin.
You can follow Elandrah on Instagram here.
Brent Hill plays the one and only King George III, who performs one of the best songs in the show.
Another WAAPA graduate, Brent has appeared in School of Rock, An Ideal Husband, The Speechmaker, and Little Shop of Horrors, among other productions.
He's also racked up quite a few awards like the Helpmann Award® for Best Male Actor in a Musical for School of Rock and the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Musical for Little Shop of Horrors.
You can follow Brent on Instagram here.
Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia.
