Interview: Tyler Fauntleroy of HAMILTON at Ottawa's National Arts Centre
See Tyler Fauntleroy embody Alexander Hamilton's complex character during Ottawa's run of Hamilton at the National Arts Centre from August 5 to 17.
Ahead of Broadway Across Canada's much anticipated presentation of Hamilton at the National Arts Centre, I spoke with Tyler Fauntleroy, who plays the title role. Tyler talked about his personal journey with the show, provided insight into the musical's themes, and gave some reasons why Canadian audiences should see a story about America's beginnings, despite current cross-border tensions.
You were previously part of Hamilton’s National Tour as part of the Philip Company, playing the dual role of John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton’s son, Philip. How long have you been part of the Hamilton family?
After years and years of auditions and callbacks, I got the role in January 2023, and I made my debut in February of that year. About halfway through the Philip Company tour, I asked if I could understudy Alexander Hamilton and that was approved. After that, I joined the Angelica Company in the role of Hamilton full-time.
What about Alexander Hamilton’s role spoke to you?
John Laurens and Philip are kind of cut from the same cloth as Alexander Hamilton, so it wasn’t too far a stretch. There are so many great roles in Hamilton, but Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr are some of the meatiest roles in theatre. Hamilton has so much of a journey to go on and what the role asks of you from a perspective of lyrical dexterity, vocal dexterity, and emotional dexterity is the most fun challenge you could have.
Alexander Hamilton is such a multi-faceted character. He’s intelligent, impulsive, reckless and passionate, and arrogant all at once. In what ways do you relate most to Alexander Hamilton and how are you most different from him?
It’s funny, my friend J.J. [Jimmie “J.J.” Jeter], who plays Burr, and I talk a lot about how in reality, I am more of a Burr, and he is more of a Hamilton. But there are some things the roles ask of us that are easier and some that are harder to do.
There is something to be said about Hamilton’s tenacity and drive that I can relate to. As an actor, you know what its like to have that work ethic, where you will work so hard to try to prove yourself and get where you want to be – and that’s 1000% me. But Hamilton’s brazen confidence is not really me. The self-assuredness he has, I envy that.
%20(l-r)%20Tyler%20Fauntleroy%20and%20Jimmie%20_J_J__%20Jeter%20-%20HAMILTON%20National%20Tour%20-%20(c)%20Joan%20Marcus%202024.jpg?format=auto&width=900)
HAMILTON National Tour- (c) Joan Marcus 2024.
Do you find that after doing the role for a while, it has helped you become more self-assured, or is it more of a mask that you put on?
You know, I really love how this show teaches you things about yourself. It makes you prove to yourself night after night that you can do it. For example, playing Alexander Hamilton with the sheer volume of words he has, gave me the knowledge that my mind is stronger than I realized. The beauty is that, as you see Hamilton’s self-assuredness, you realize that you can do these hard things too, which has been so inspiring.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
As I have gone through the roles, I have a couple that I am in and a couple that I’m not.
“My Shot” feels like my Superbowl! It’s so early in the show, but it’s the song that I feel is the most technically difficult song for Hamilton. It’s also the moment in the show where the audience gets to see who follows them into battle and who shapes the nation.
“Schuyler Sisters” - even though I’m not in the song anymore, I still do the choreography off stage!
“Wait For It” is a song that can stop anyone in their tracks because it is so poignant.
At the end of “Yorktown”, we just let the victory wash over us – it is one of the best moments for me. That feeling of knowing you are finally going to see your family again, see your friends again (that is, hoping they haven’t died in battle) and experiencing all those emotions…
One of my favourites that might surprise you is “We Know”; just the drama of it all and it also has some of Hamilton’s hardest rhymes.
Given that this is Hamilton’s tenth anniversary, why do you think the show has such staying power? How do you think the show’s message has changed from ten years ago?
I think part of the reason it has such staying power is that it is so well-written and the lyrics and staging really convey the human experience. Contemplating life, death, and joy in “Wait For It” is so haunting in the best of ways. We all know what it is like to feel emotions like envy and jealousy, so we can see ourselves reflected in Aaron Burr. We know what it is like to fall in love, so we that’s why “Helpless” lands the way it does. In “It’s Quiet Uptown”, there is this moment where Hamilton is standing in the middle, and all the other characters are walking in slow motion on either side – and that expresses so well how it feels when you are grieving.
From a musical theatre perspective and what it offers, it gives the stage to actors of colour and to genres of music that are not engaged as much as they should be. R&B and hip hop are genres that are worthy of complex study and deep enjoyment, but they are underutilized on the Broadway stage.
Now, as America goes through these shifts and changes, lines in the show take on different meanings. If anything, I hope the show helps people to see the message of what America could still be and it gives us something to strive for and to continue to create the world we all want to live in.
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As I’m sure you are aware, tensions across the Canadian-U.S. border are at their highest in years and many Canadians are boycotting the U.S. and U.S. products. What would you say to Canadian audiences that are perhaps reluctant to go see a musical that is so quintessentially American?
I understand the nation and the mindset. The rest of the world and even Americans themselves probably don’t feel that America is at its best right now. But I think that the people who are coming to tell Hamilton’s story believe that it could - and should - be better. But you don’t need to celebrate that aspect of the show because there are so many of those personal things you can derive from it.
What do you want audiences to take away from the show?
I think just to try to go back and think about what could be possible for our country. That is really what the people in Hamilton’s story did: they saw their current state and wanted to create a better place to live in and that is essentially what everyone hopes for.
Be "in the room where it happens" and see Tyler Fauntleroy embody Alexander Hamilton's complex character during Ottawa's run of Hamilton at the National Arts Centre from August 5 to 17. Get tickets at Broadway Across Canada or by clicking the link below.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and conciseness.
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