(Or, you might have forgotten!)
This show is non-stop! And so is its cast.
Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Hamilton is celebrating ten years on Broadway this month. The multi-award-winning smash hit saw its original cast, which includes Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr, and Phillipa Soo, reuniting at this year’s Tony Awards. You can watch the performance here.
But with a decade’s worth of talent, here are some performers you may not have known who play their part in Hamilton history on Broadway.
Perhaps best known for her performance as the named Natasha to Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812, Benton quickly joined the cast of Hamilton as Eliza. Work!
When Hamilton made its way to Broadway, it added Emmy Raver-Lampman to the ensemble, and the actress also understudied all three Schuyler sisters. On the show, she met her partner, Daveed Diggs and has risen to fame, notably as Allison in Netflix’s Umbrella Academy.
All of us theatre fans proudly know that Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose got her start on Broadway. She originated the role of ‘The Bullet’ in Hamilton before gaining the title role in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, for which she received her Tony Award nomination. Little did she know then that she’d go on to host three of the annual television awards. Her screen credits in West Side Story, The Prom, Schmigadoon, Wish, and more have made her a national treasure. She really did do the thing.
Tony Award and Emmy nominee Brandon Victor Dixon has originated roles including Harpo in The Color Purple, Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, and Davis in Hell’s Kitchen. But he also enjoyed a stint as Hamilton’s nemesis, Aaron Burr, from the recommendation of original Burr, Leslie Odom Jr.
Stage and screen sweetheart Jordan Fisher made his Broadway debut, taking on the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton from OBC member Anthony Ramos. The recording artist cum actor stayed in the role for roughly five months. He has since appeared in Dear Evan Hansen, Sweeney Todd, Hadestown, Urinetown, and Moulin Rouge!.
There’s nothing forgettable about Mandy Gonzalez’s Angelica Schuyler, but she has so many stage credits to her name that we’d forgive you for first thinking of Miranda’s other stage musical, In The Heights – in which she originated the role of Nina Rosario.
Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart needn’t use one of his three wishes on a long-standing Broadway career – that, he already has! Iglehart “came home” to Broadway, playing Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette. The performer was seen this last Broadway season as Louis Armstrong in A Wonderful World.
He did say that he’ll be back! Taran Killam played King George III at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, marking his first appearance on Broadway. Since then, the Saturday Night Live actor/comedian has featured in the recent revival of Spamalot.
Hello! Only the biggest of Hamilton fans will likely recall that Andrew Rannells replaced Tony Award-winner Jonathan Groff in the role of King George III on Broadway for a month, while Groff fulfilled pre-arranged filming commitments. Anybody in any of those audiences has ultimate bragging rights.
George Eacker is not the most well-known Hamilton character (he’s the guy who fatally killed Philip), but he has been played by many great performers. Ephraim Sykes assumed the role at the Public Theater and then again during the Broadway transfer. More recently, Sykes originated the role of David Ruffin in Ain’t Too Proud, picking up a Tony nomination.