SchuylWERKsister said: "conealpetterson said: "Shoba was at her brother's college graduation. Nyla (Peggy/Maria) is out with an injury."
Wait, I just thought of something. Why Ari and not Jenni Harney? That’s whatJenni Harney’s position is for.It couldn’t have been a last minute thing because I’m sure Shoba gave them notice about her brother’s graduation. Unless Jenni was on vacation. Interesting..."
SchuylWERKsister said: "conealpetterson said: "Shoba was at her brother's college graduation. Nyla (Peggy/Maria) is out with an injury."
Wait, I just thought of something. Why Ari and not Jenni Harney? That’s whatJenni Harney’s position is for.It couldn’t have been a last minute thing because I’m sure Shoba gave them notice about her brother’s graduation. Unless Jenni was on vacation. Interesting..."
Here's the full story:
That week Ta'Rea Campbell (Angelica) and Nyla Sostre (Peggy/Maria) had been calling out quite a bit due to illness. Shoba had been consistent and did not call out.
But that night, Shoba had a scheduled absence and Ta'Rea and Nyla called out. The only women on the Philip Tour who cover the sisters are Emily Jenda and Jen Sese. Jennie Harney was in New York. They didn't have enough advance notice that all 3 sisters would be out so they called around and Ari happened to be in the state.
Emily Jenda was on as Angelica and Jen Sese as Peggy/Maria.
Can anyone who has seen Broadway production recently give some insight? I loved the show with the OBC but went again that November (Chris Jackson's last weekend) and was really underwhelmed by the replacements. I'm hoping to bring my Mom, who is super skeptical of the production as a whole, for her first time and I want her to love it so I'm hoping to catch a great cast. Obviously, the original group was incredible so it's hard to compare, but the second time I saw it really just didn't do it for me. I'm not in a rush so if the current group is lacking I'll hold off until there are some role changes.
J Quinton Johnson is leaving the Broadway company on June 10th. And Wallace Smith from the Chicago cast is joining the broadway cast. Not sure who the new laf/jefe will be but I believe it to be either Jean Floridin or Josh Rivera. Ebrin B Stanley is taking over for Wallace Smith in Chicago.
I really want Amber Iman as Angelica some day. I know she did Peggy/Maria, but I think she's much more suited for Angelica (her Satisfied would be fantastic).
chelseaburnside said: "Can anyone who has seen Broadway production recently give some insight? I loved the show with the OBC but went again that November (Chris Jackson's last weekend) and was really underwhelmed by the replacements. I'm hoping to bring my Mom, who is super skeptical of the production as a whole, for her first time and I want her to love it so I'm hoping to catch a great cast. Obviously, the original group was incredible soit's hard to compare, but the second time I saw it really just didn't do it for me. I'm not in a rush so if the current group is lacking I'll hold off until there are some role changes."
The Broadway cast right now is a mixed bag. I think Michael Luwoye and Anthony Lee Medina are extraordinary—even better than the actors who originated those roles. I haven't seen Daniel Breaker yet (Ryan Vasquez was on as Burr when I last visited, and he was beyond fantastic). Joanna Jones is also an excellent Peggy/Maria. I think everybody else is just okay, with the exceptions of Lexi Lawson and Mandy Gonzalez, who have let me down with their performances on multiple return trips to the show. I have a lot of respect for Mandy as an actress and a singer, but she simply doesn't command the stage the way Angelica Schuyler should (and her "Satisfied" is just not a show-stopping punch in the gut like it ought to be). The quality Lexi brings to Eliza is "basic AF." Really not good.
I'm hoping we get some Schuyler sister turnover sometime soon. Otherwise, the cast is pretty good, with a few sensational standouts. You'll still be bowled over regardless, as I am every time. The show itself is a masterpiece.
When Luwoye's contract is up, will they bring in someone out of nowhere to play the part or do you think a stand by/understudy will step into the role?
I FINALLY saw Hamilton tonight. I thought Luwoye and Breaker were extraordinary as Hamilton and Burr, and I hated James Monroe Englehart's Lafayette but loved his Jefferson. Actually I enjoyed all the male leads. I thought Bryan Terrell Clark was appropriately authoritative as Washington and I also liked Johnson as Madison.
I was very disappointed with Lexi Lawson and Mandy Gonzalez. Lexi Lawson struggles so much with the high notes that it was distracting and she was so bland. No reason to care about her. Mandy was better but again, the Schuyler sisters faded into the background. Only Joanna Jones as Peggy/Maria made an impact.
I was surprised at how muted the audience reception was.
I'll gather more of my thoughts later but that's what I thought of the current Broadway cast.
I saw Hamilton in Chicago for the first time in a while today and really enjoyed the new Eliza (Jamila Sabares-Klemm). She has a beautiful voice and presence and I enjoyed her acting choices for the most part; her singing felt a little too quiet sometimes but otherwise she was excellent. I also always liked Ari, but I know she was a bit polarizing.
Another reason I went was to see Jin Ha as Burr. I was not disappointed and I think he is well cast in the role. I saw the London production twice in May and ended up with different Hamiltons and Burrs each time, and I actually think that both Jin Ha and Gregory Treco (the two most recent Chicago Burrs) were just as good as Giles Terera and miles better than Burr understudy Waylon Jacobs (to be fair, it was his Burr debut and he absolutely KILLED as the Laf/Jef understudy at the second show I saw to the point that it was one of my favorite Laf/Jef performances of all time - I went from feeling bad for the guy to being a huge fan!). I actually have a ton of thoughts on the London and current Chicago casts but that's not really relevant to the replacements thread.
Henry and Odom are still my all-time favorite Burrs and that will probably be the case forever.
I haven't seen as many Hamiltons as Burrs, but I would rank as follows: Miguel Cervantes, Jamael Westman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joseph Morales, Sifiso Mazibuko.
Chris De'Sean Lee's final performace as Lafayette/Jefferson is tomorrow night. I think Jean Godsend Floradin is replacing him since he recently left the Chicago company and joined the Angelica company a few days ago.
Ok so after finally seeing Hamilton here's what I thought of the current B'way cast and the show: https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2018/06/hamilton-great-american-musical.html
Great review. I'm surprised to see all the negative reviews for the current Angelica and Eliza. I think alot of people don't realize how tricky it is to play Angelica. I always think of Angelica as a baker's wife role. You have to have an amazing actress to pull it off or else she just fades in the background. Renee definitely earned her Tony because you could see so much emotion and so much regalnes and pride despite her character not given much to do in act 2. Lin said Angelica is the smartest person in the whole show. You have to believe that when she's onstage. Renee said in a different time, Angelia could have been president. You have to believe that. I think someone like Heather Headley would exude all of what Angelica should be like Renee did.
RicardoMagon said: "Great review. I'm surprised to see all the negative reviews for the current Angelica and Eliza. I think alot of people don't realize how tricky it is to play Angelica. I always think of Angelica as a baker's wife role. You have to have an amazing actress to pull it off or else she just fades in the background. Renee definitely earned her Tony because you could see so much emotion and so much regalnes and pride despite her character not given much to do in act 2. Lin said Angelica is the smartest person in the whole show. You have to believe that when she's onstage. Renee said in a different time, Angelia could have been president. You have to believe that. I think someone like Heather Headley would exude all of what Angelica should be like Renee did."
I feel like maybe Lawson and Gonzalez have gotten a bit stale? They've been with the show for a long time and just didn't exude much energy. I'd love to see, for instance, what Denee Benton could do in the role of Eliza.