QueenTwinnied said: "As with many shows, understudies can be hit or miss due to having less chances to perform the role. That doesn't necessarily speak to the quality of the company. I saw Donald Webber Jr as the Hamilton Understudy on Broadwayand he absolutely killed it. Similarly I saw Andrew Chappelle as the Jefferson Standby and I enjoyed his performance nearly as much as Daveed."
Did Chappelle cover Burr? I think I saw him in that role and he did NOT disappoint! I thought he was great.
JDonaghy4 said: "Shout out to understudies. I thought Leslie Odom was brilliant and then I saw Nik Walker and i though he knocked it out the park in a whole other way.
as for Bway cast, I was told that a buncha Chicago veterans are moving to Broadway- not sure exactly who, and this is all nonsense rumor, but I had heard Tamar Greene and Miguel Cervantes were all part of that transferring, which makes sense with Bryan Terrell Greene and Ryan Vasquez filling in for a bit.
I didnt mind Mandy Gonzalez as Angelica (i had only ever seen Renee Elise Goldsberry, which is an unfavorable comparison), but i still cant help but think of the many others who would eat up that role (Rebecca Naomi Jones, Shayna Steele, Sharone Sayegh...)"
QueenTwinnied said: "Also, did the West End cast recently change? I noticed that Rachelle Ann Go is no longer principal Eliza."
Yes, the majority of the original London principals (Rachelle Ann, Jamael, Tarinn, Cleve) as well as other OLC and 2nd year principals left on November 16.
Last remaining OLC principal is Jason Penny Cooke who plays Lafayette/Jefferson.
I managed to see them on November 15 as well as towards the beginning of their run. They were really strong. There was still a spark there unlike what I've seen on Broadway.
I wrote the following for the "Helen Shaw" thread but am posting it here as well: I came on here tonight to report my views on the current Bway cast of Hamilton after seeing the matinee today (Monday, December, 23, 2019). I actually found most of the cast as well as the esemble to be very strong. Krystal Joy Brown as Eliza was fantastic, and Daniel Breaker as Burr was very good. Iglehart's take on Lafayette/Jefferson is his own -he is flamboyant yet not quite as sexy as the performer I saw in Chicago (not sure of the name right now). Mandy Gonzales as Angelica felt a bit a bit more motherly towards Eliza than a big sister. The biggest weakness for me was Ryan Vasquez as Hamilton; he seems more passive & I didn't feel his ambition as I did seeing Miguel Cervantes in Chicago. With Vasquez, he's so tall and pretty, that it is almost like you don't doubt that the whole world would just fall into his lap. He sings the role well, but he isn't a very good actor - in Act 2 when his son SPOILERS
dies, Vasquez is a blank. Because he has such a large physical presence they need taller actors like Mandy Gonzales & Iglehart as Angelica & Jefferson respectively to literally stand up to him in scenes of conflict, such as when Angelica comes back to NY to be a at her sister's side & brushes Hamilton off. But unfortunately she comes across as more matronly than other Angelicas. Someone who is a better actor is Daniel Yearwood as Laurens/Philip. When his Laurens is paired with Vasquez's Hamilton... I have rewritten this to make it less pornographic... his Laurens is more macho than most. Yearwood could be a very good Hamilton. I just want to add the sightlines at the Richard Rodgers are so much better than in those at the CIBC theatre in Chicago. There isn't enough pitch in that theatre, so the heads of people in the row ahead of you obstruct so much. Here I was 3rd row from the top & had a complete view of the whole stage picture. As I went to Rosenkavelier at the Met afterwards, I also had my binoculars with me to see facial expressions - which is something I highly recommend. If you have any interest in Rosenkavelier, tonight's cast was outstanding. Magdalena Kozena is the greatest Octavian I have ever seen - so much swagger that I think SHE would make a better Hamilton than Ryan Vasquez! But the cast the performed tonight returns for the January 1 & 4 performances and is different from the cast this coming Saturday, December 28.
joined:3/18/19
joined:
3/18/19
Posted: 12/20/19 at 9:30am