Chicago Hamilton Dream Casting

I would die if they got Nic Rouleau to play King George. He has been living in England for the past year so he probably can get the accent down easily and he has been in Chicago before performing in the Book of Mormon at the same theatre where Hamilton will be playing so it would be nice if he came back.

I think it's inevitable that Nic Rouleau will play King George at some point, not just because it's a role Andrew already played. He would be hilarious and I can totally get behind this. :)

What other Chicago-based or Chicago-originating actors could be in this? Allison Semmes?

Isn't Karen Olivia teaching at Wisconsin? I thought I read a tweet from Lin Manuel miranda saying that. Maybe she can take a leave of absence for a month to go down to Chicago and perform Eliza.

Can Karen rap well enough to do Angelica? I'd like to see her as Eliza, would be nice to see her in a less feisty role.

Updated On: 1/3/16 at 07:01 PM

Gypsy, where did you hear recordings of Anika in Hamilton? I think Denee Benton would be a wonderful Eliza. I saw her in The Book Of Mormon tour and her voice was incredible. Similar to Phillipa Soo she is playing Natasha in Great Comet at ART right now.

Anika Noni Rose brought a lovely wit and pathos to Angelica in the reading of the first act at Vassar. They hadn't quite figured out the character's musical style yet at that point. I remember the transitions in "Satisfied" between when she'd rap and when she'd sing feeling very rough and jarring, as if they weren't quite sure yet whether they wanted it to be more of a patter song with sustained singing throughout (as it is now) or something else entirely.

As far as future replacements go, De'Adre Aziza played Angelica in the first full workshop and I'd love to see her get another crack at it. Though she tends to play harder edged characters, I think Ruthie Ann Miles would be a lovely Eliza.

Updated On: 1/3/16 at 08:25 PM

Holy Crap. Karen Olivo as Angelica might be the fiercest thing I have ever heard. I might pass out if that happens.

Why is it a pity? Renee is absolutely stunning as Angelica. If Karen ever took over, I'm sure she would be fantastic and different in her own beautiful way. But I'm glad Renee won the role.

Chicago is about a two and a half hour drive from Madison, Wisconsin where Karen Olivo now lives. It's not inconceivable that she could end up in the production there. I'm sure working on something this major close enough to home to go back on her days off would be appealing to her.

Lord knows she'd be a dynamite Angelica.

Updated On: 1/3/16 at 11:45 PM