The blockbuster musical Hamilton has returned to the Providence Performing Arts Center, and by all accounts, the show is as strong as ever. The Broadway spectacle, now on its third run in Providence, plays through Sunday, December 22. Very few tickets remain – Click here for details.
For those unfamiliar with the groundbreaking musical, here’s a brief synopsis:
Hamilton tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton through a blend of hip-hop, R&B, and traditional musical theater. The show covers Hamilton’s rise from an impoverished immigrant to his role as a key architect of the U.S. government, his personal struggles, and his relationships with historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr, as well as the lesser-known characters who shaped his identity. The production is widely considered one of the greatest musicals ever performed.
Last week, we sat down with a couple of young actors who play leading roles in the celebrated production, Lauren Mariasoosay, who plays Eliza, and Kai Thomani Tshikosi, who covers the dual role of Hercules Mulligan/James Madison.
How do they connect to their now iconic roles on stage?
“I heard Phillipa Soo on the soundtrack, and I thought, how do I get here; how do I do this,” said Mariasoosay. “I really didn’t think there was a place for my voice or my tone in theater, even while I was going to theater school.”
“The industry likes to box you in; I feel like this was the first show that broke that glass ceiling,” she continued. “Suddenly, things became possible for people like us. Once I heard Eliza sing, I finally felt like I had found a place in theater. It kind of feels full circle for me to be here.”
I have two roles, the biggest draw for me, is playing Hercules Mulligan in the first half,” said Tshikosi. “I’m a big lover of hip-hop; I’ve listened to it all my life. Listening to the soundtrack, I can hear the influences that Lin (Manuel-Miranda) wrote into it, in terms of his cadences. There are different flow patterns, different vocal settings, and different musical illusions that exist in the show, that allow me to bring my own vocal coloring to the performance.”
The historical nature of the show is not lost on either actor.
“James Madison is a fascinating historical figure. I think of Madison as a really engaging villain, but I also think of Jefferson as an engaging villain. And, depending on your interpretation, I think of Hamilton as an engaging villain,” said Tshikosi. “Once you get into the political crux of the show, we have all these charming, devious figures vying for influence, creating this series of cause and effect, and consequences with their actions and their choices.”
Tshikosi is a graduate of Brown University, where he studied acting in a joint program with Trinity Repertory. Hamilton is his first national tour. Growing up, he never expected to be acting professionally. In fact, last week was the first time he ever set foot inside PPAC. “I didn’t grow up doing musical theater; I never expected to be hired for a musical, especially a prominent one like this.”
“I was lucky to have a number of really incredible people impact my life during that time,” he said. “I had one teacher, Michael Évora, he was the musical director at Trinity for a production of Black Odyssey, that I did in 2018, which is what brought me to BTM with April Brown. The way that he held space in that room… not only did he support us musically, but he created a family environment. There’s a direct line to that and me choosing to go to that school. When I went there, he ended up being one of my singing teachers.”
Very few tickets remain for the show – click here for details.
