Posted: 8/9/16 at 11:05am
As a woman of a certain age and re the distaining on Brian Stokes Mitchell as GW: diversity has many forms. Not necessarily an endorsement, just an observation.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 11:43am
DottieD'Luscia said:
For those who have seen Lexi, has she been given a long mourning coat for It's Quiet Uptown, as opposed to the bolero the understudies seem to be wearing?"
Saw it last night with Lexi and she did have full length mourning coat on. She also did a great job as Eliza.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 11:48am
Forget age... what about vocal style? Stokes has a purely classical sound and is very "old school." I couldn't imagine a voice, as wonderful as it is, more mismatched for this score than his. What an odd suggestion...
Posted: 8/9/16 at 11:54am
George Washington's songs sound like classic musical theater numbers to me.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:21pm
macnyc said: "George Washington's songs sound like classic musical theater numbers to me."
On what planet?
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:24pm
George Washington's songs sound like classic musical theater numbers to me.
Seriously? Gurl, are you cray cray? There's really only one genuinely "classic musical theatre number" in the show, and it's called What'd I Miss?
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:31pm
Not to discredit you at all, Headband, but I also personally don't think "What'd I Miss" is that classic of musical theatre. "Burn," maybe? Breaking the trend of "traditional musical theatre" is kinda one of the points of Hamilton...
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:32pm
^ What about That would be enough, You'll be back or Dear Theadosia? I'd consider these as 'classic musical theatre numbers' as well.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:49pm
BroadwayConcierge said: "Not to discredit you at all, Headband, but I also personally don't think "What'd I Miss" is that classic of musical theatre. "Burn," maybe? Breaking the trend of "traditional musical theatre" is kinda one of the points of Hamilton...
"
I'd love to know what how you'd describe that song, then.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 12:53pm
Liza's Headband said: "I'd love to know what how you'd describe that song, then."
Straight from the Genius page...
"This song, and Thomas Jefferson’s style throughout the show, has a different sound than many of the other characters. Jefferson was older than Hamilton’s cohort by over a decade, and he has very different, and somewhat backwards priorities. To reflect that, his songs draw on old-school African American genres like ragtime, boogie-woogie and other Southern jazz flavors that pay homage to his Virginian loyalties. There are also pretty wonderfully apparent strains of funk & soul music, the genres that helped birth the hip hop movement embodied by Hamilton and his friends. His major musical inspirations were Gil Scott-Heron and Outkast. There’s also a lot of Cab Calloway—the real grandfather of rap—in there."
There are definitely musical theatre strains in it, but it's really not "genuinely" classic musical theatre...
Posted: 8/9/16 at 1:45pm
Let me make myself clear. I am a big Brian Stokes Mitchell fan ever since his days on TRAPPER JOHN, MD, which most of you probably don't even know about or remember.
Stokes vocal chops not to mention his age are a mismatch for what any of the male roles in HAMILTON require.
Some shows/roles are not for all performers no matter how phenomenally talented they are. This is the case with Stokes and Hamilton. They are not going to cast a 60 year old man to play a role whose contemporaries are between the ages of 25-40.
Stokes looks great for his age but let's be realistic he could not pass for 40.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 1:58pm
CarlosAlberto said: "Let me make myself clear. I am a big Brian Stokes Mitchell fan ever since his days on TRAPPER JOHN, MD, which most of you probably don't even know about or remember.
Stokes vocal chops not to mention his age are a mismatch for what any of the male roles in HAMILTON require.
Some shows/roles are not for all performers no matter how phenomenally talented they are. This is the case with Stokes and Hamilton. They are not going to cast a 60 year old man to play a role whose contemporaries are between the ages of 25-40.
Stokes looks great for his age but let's be realistic he could not pass for 40.
"
First post on this thread 
. I love Brian Stokes Mitchell as well, but have to agree with this. He just doesn't fit the "young, scrappy and hungry" mold of the other characters. Even given the fact that Washington is meant to be a bit older and more polished than the others. Also, and most importantly in my opinion, can Brian Stokes Mitchell rap???
Posted: 8/9/16 at 2:03pm
ERASED AS BASED ON A COMPLETE MISCONCEPTION.
Apologies.
Updated On: 8/9/16 at 02:03 PM
Posted: 8/9/16 at 2:14pm
I believe they were discussing him for the role of George Washington, not King George. The King is specified as for Caucasian actors.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 2:15pm
Ah, me bad..... whoa...... I'm erasing. Immediately.
Too bad Mitchell isn't playing the King instead.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 3:10pm
George Washington is the elder statesman of the piece. He's been around, been battered and beaten, and has regrets. He looks back with pain at his youthful exploits, when he led his men into a massacre and witnessed their deaths firsthand. He is in direct contrast to the young, scrappy and hungry generation and is not supposed to "fit the mold" of the younger set. He's 23 years old than Hamilton.
Updated On: 8/9/16 at 03:10 PM
Posted: 8/9/16 at 4:17pm
Is it unusual that they haven't announced a new Lafayette/Jefferson yet? They've brought in outside folks for the other principals (don't count Javier Munoz), rather than elevate a current cast member. However, since the only thing in the rumor mill is Jevon McFerrin rehearsing to be a swing - perhaps the plan is to get him ready and then officially name one of the current understudies? Perhaps they can't do that quite yet because they need the flexibility with the swings, especially without a permanent Burr replacement?
Posted: 8/9/16 at 4:21pm
macnyc said: "George Washington is the elder statesman of the piece. He's been around, been battered and beaten, and has regrets. He looks back with pain at his youthful exploits, when he led his men into a massacre and witnessed their deaths firsthand. He is in direct contrast to the young, scrappy and hungry generation and is not supposed to "fit the mold" of the younger set. He's 23 years old than Hamilton.
"
Find video or audio of BSM rapping, then get back to me. Regardless of his age, his style is simply not built for this show. And that's okay. No need to deny it.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 4:22pm
I'm thinking they want to spread out the replacement announcements.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 4:32pm
I don't think it's weird they haven't announced a new Lafayette/Jefferson.
I don't think it's weird they haven't announced Dixon's start date.
I don't think it's weird they haven't announced Renée's final performance.
Why? Because they have tickets sold from now til the end of time. They have absolutely no time crunch to be on the ball with press releases and casting announcements.
Yes, it's frustrating for us devotees and hungry Broadway news consumers, but we're a small niche that means nothing for their sales (and most of us have already bought tickets anyway!). They're settled in financially for the long haul; they'll take their sweet time dropping news.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 4:36pm
^Thats why I think Mandy could be going in when Chicago goes into Tech, She's already in rehearsal and it seems that the new Lafayette/Jefferson isn't.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 10:16pm
DottieD'Luscia said: For those who have seen Lexi, has she been given a long mourning coat for It's Quiet Uptown, as opposed to the bolero the understudies seem to be wearing?
Olivia11 said: Saw it last night with Lexi and she did have full length mourning coat on. She also did a great job as Eliza.
I AM SO GLAD TO READ THIS! LOL! Thanks for asking Dottie!
Updated On: 8/9/16 at 10:16 PM
Posted: 8/9/16 at 10:29pm
CarlosAlberto said: "Let me make myself clear. I am a big Brian Stokes Mitchell fan ever since his days on TRAPPER JOHN, MD, which most of you probably don't even know about or remember.
I remember! Every Sunday! I used to watch CBS's All In the Family, One Day at a Time, Alice, The Jeffersons and then Trapper John, MD! When I went to see Shuffle Along, I was more excited about seeing him than Audra! but as much as I admire him and his career, no, I don't think he'd read well for the roles in Hamilton.
Updated On: 8/9/16 at 10:29 PM
Posted: 8/9/16 at 10:58pm
Liza, I don't recall George Washington rapping. Maybe I'm forgetting something.
Posted: 8/9/16 at 11:06pm
macnyc said: "Liza, I don't recall George Washington rapping. Maybe I'm forgetting something. "
He raps in "Right Hand Man," maybe somewhere else? But his rap is a lot less intense than everyone else's. It's nothing Mitchell couldn't do. And the idea that him not looking 40 somehow makes him inadequate to play the role is ridiculous. Lin-Manuel Miranda played a 19-year-old Hamilton with extraordinary results, and Anthony Ramos plays a 9-year old Philip. I think we can handle Brian Stokes Mitchell as a 45-year-old man in this particular show.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
