Stellasteve said:
if you’ve seen the And Peggy Company in the past, what are your thoughts on the new cast relative to the original?"
I hesitate to review a cast in their first week of performance, especially because I had understudies for Hamilton, Angelica and Lafayette. The newbies are promising but the chemistry hasn't quite gelled yet. Act Two, as a result, felt longer than it did the last time I saw this production.
Akron Watson is a Burr who plays his cards closer to the chest than any I have seen. It's harder than ever to know what he's thinking. He's got a beautiful, slightly husky voice, but on the whole I preferred Donald Webber (well, actually I preferred Joshua Henry but who wouldn't?) Victoria Ann Scovens sings beautifully but she doesn't get to the emotional extremes of Eliza easily (Or maybe was just pacing herself on her second-ever two-show day in the part). Burn didn't quite...burn, if you know what I mean. Her best work was in the epilogue, which was beautifully delivered. Andy Tofa is a really adorable Philip and a very lovable John Laurens, and Ashley de la Rosa burns the place down in "say no to this" (Her Peggy isn't as fun as Darilyn Castillo's deadpan snark in the role but that seems like a REALLY churlish complaint.)
As for the understudies: I got standby Deaundre' Woods as Hamilton and he was incredibly convincing as the brash young revolutionary in Act I but struggled with the transition into the grieving father in act II. Especially because Julius Thomas' take on the character is really emotionally raw/prone to tears, Woods' more stoic approach felt more muted. It is unfair, perhaps, to directly compare them but, well, they're doing the same role in the same production. Vincent Jamal Hooper was a magnetic Lafayette but didn't quite make Jefferson the scene-stealer he needs to be. Not for lack of trying, but as an understudy he was clearly locked into Simon Longnight's take on the material and doesn't quite have the same sense of timing. I'd be interested to see him in the other roles he covers; I feel like he'd be more successful as Burr or Hamilton. Rebecca E. Covington was on as Angelica and gave the most dramatically vivid, desperate rendition of Satisfied I've heard live. She really brought her A-Game.
As for the cast members I saw twice: I LOVE what Brandon Armstrong does with Madison and Mulligan, it's a terrific spin on the character. Darnell Abraham has the perfect bearing for Washington and his voice his gorgeous; his diction drives me crazy. Rick Negron, who I didn't quite love in my first viewing of this cast in November, really benefited from a second viewing as King George. I enjoy that he plays the role with real gravitas and command, which allows the song's insipidity to shine through.
A couple of stray casting things reflected upthread: Trey Curtis IS still with the show, he's now listed as a Hamilton understudy as well as the three revolutionary tracks he was already covering. Charlotte Mary Wen is not listed in the program; can't tell if that's an oversight or if she has opted not to be credited (swings sometimes do not choose to be, I guess?)
Updated On: 1/12/20 at 02:46 AM
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