Rubén J. Carbajal (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton on Broadway) is back for another round! This week, he talks about his multiple Hamilton auditions and explains his process: the flights, the preparation, the importance of always showing his personality, and the beauty of staying curious. Rubén talks about his experience on tour, the full circle moment of bringing Hamilton home to Los Angeles, and what it was like performing with Lin-Manuel Miranda in Puerto Rico. And then… Rubén thought he was done with Hamilton in 2022 but some time away, a writers’ strike, and a very supportive partner led him to Broadway. Rubén J. Carbajal on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Apr 14
1 hr 7 min
Rubén J. Carbajal is finally on the podcast after all this time, but honestly, the timing could not have been better. Rubén recently made his Broadway debut as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, but not before doing over one thousand performances across the country including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and performing alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in Puerto Rico. Rubén has been performing since he was five years old, but it wasn’t until he did In the Heights for the first time that he felt truly connected to a role. He wants to do that show forever (that’s a quote) and so far he’s done it three times: once as Sonny and twice as Usnavi. When Hamilton came along Rubén was a superfan just like the rest of us, and we have a lot of fun revisiting those early days of the Hamilton fervor. What’s more exciting than being a fan of something and then actually being a part of it?! And for years, at that! It wasn’t an easy process and this episode ends with one of the busiest and most important days of Rubén’s life: an audition, the news about a call back, a Mets game, and standing on the turntable at the Richard Rodgers Theatre for the very first time. Rubén J. Carbajal on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Apr 7
54 min
Vincent Jamal Hooper is back for round two! Vinny’s Hamilton experience took him to Puerto Rico, California, Texas, and Australia playing the roles of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Lafayette/Jefferson, George Washington, and KGIII. This week, Vinny talks about going from Hamilton to White Girl in Danger to making his Broadway debut as Simba in The Lion King. Plus, Vinny explains the responsibility of tone setting in a production, tells us about all the playlists he made to get in character for his multiple Hamilton roles, all the "animal work" he did to prepare for Hamilton and Burr, and why video games are a parable life. Vincent Jamal Hooper on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Mar 31
49 min
Vincent Jamal Hooper is here! Vinny recently made his Broadway debut as Simba in the Lion King and before that, his Hamilton experience took him all over the place: Puerto Rico, California, Texas, and Australia. Vinny played Hamilton, Burr, Lafayette/Jefferson, George Washington, and King George III. This week, Vinny talks about growing up in Texas and knowing pretty early on that he wanted to be a performer. He landed the role of Benny in a local production of In The Heights which led him to Hamilton, a show that he and his friends (J. Quinton Johnson and Trey Curtis) used to act out in parking lots. After Hamilton Vinny shifts gears completely to do White Girl in Danger, and while it was total whiplash the experience made him a better artist all around and taught him the importance of not being afraid to be seen trying. Vincent Jamal Hooper on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Mar 24
51 min
Jarrod Spector (King George III in Hamilton Broadway) is back for round two. In this episode, Jarrod talks about heading to New York City to study at the Atlantic Theater Company and starting his Broadway career. After being fired from Jersey Boys before he even started, Jarrod went on to play a record-breaking 1500 performances at Frankie Valli. We also talk Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Cher Show, and collaborating with his fantastic wife Kelli Barrett. Jarrod also discusses landing KGIII in Hamilton, explains why the role is like "starting on third base", and reflects on his long history of playing real people. Plus, he takes questions from the Patreon Peeps and talks about what's inspiring him. Fosse/Verdon A Killer Party Jarrod on Instagram Full Circle Artists /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Mar 17
46 min
Jarrod Spector, Hamilton Broadway’s current King George III, is on the podcast! This week, Jarrod talks about growing up in Philadelphia where he started performing on the Al Alberts Showcase at barely three years old. From there, he did his Bobby Darin act on Star Search for a while, humbly passed on The Mickey Mouse Club, and at nine years old he landed the role of Gavroche in Les Miserables where he performed in Philly, Chicago, and eventually on Broadway. Jarrod also opens up about his somewhat tumultuous early college experience, (girl, same) and we have a very honest conversation about some tricky life lessons we both learned around the same time. Al Alberts Showcase featuring Al and Jarrod singing "That's Life" (1986) Jarrod Spector singing Mack the Knife on Star Search (1988) Star Search - Jarrod Spector vs. Countess Vaughn (1988) Jarrod on Instagram Full Circle Artists /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Mar 10
54 min
This week wraps up my chat with Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (Hamilton Broadway: Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Mulligan/Madison) and he’s taking questions from The Patreon Peeps so we’re all over the map. There’s lots of pizza talk (obviously), Jonathan gives advice about being weird and authentic and finding your people, he talks about his fascination with the 2019 Cats movie, manifests his dream of playing Elphaba, and confesses how many times he’s read that erotica book that's onstage at Hamilton. Plus! Jonathan explains why he sees his Broadway debut as Burr as a return on a lot of people's investments, and he does some deep introspection about relating to the frustration and ambition of Aaron Burr, a role Jonathan never thought he'd play because according to him, "no one is ever gonna let him LEAD a show." Counting Stars by Nujabes A tribute to J-Dilla and Nujabes Patzeria Perfect Pizza aka Scientology Pizza No Good Deed from the Original Cast Recording of Wicked What The Internet Did To Garfield A Beginner's Guide to the Monogatari Series /// Jonathan on Instagram Jade Armor The Plate Show Podcast /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Mar 3
52 min
Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (Hamilton Broadway: Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Mulligan/Madison) is back for round two! In this episode, we kick off talking about his experience playing Jim Conley in Parade. It was a really intense audition process, Jonathan couldn't afford contacts for the first half of the run so could barely see and the audience looked like blobs, and he had to deal with several instances of the cops being called on him for existing while Black. But according to Jonathan, all of this craziness actually *helped* his performance. We also dive into his Hamilton story, which starts with the belief that he was wrong for absolutely every part in the show. Of course that wasn’t the case because we eventually hear the story about how Jonathan was giving Lin-Manuel Miranda shit for eating Sicilian style pizza at the Richard Rodgers so things worked out pretty well! Side note: Jonathan takes his Chicago pizza very, very seriously. Jonathan also has an incredibly moving debut experience, and talks about what it was like to play Aaron Burr for the first time. He explains his connection to Wait For It and how he carries his past with him as he moves forward. /// Jonathan on Instagram Jade Armor The Plate Show Podcast /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Feb 25
46 min
Jonathan Butler-Duplessis is currently in the Broadway company of Hamilton covering Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Mulligan/Madison. Jonathan grew up in Chicago singing in church and got his first break thanks (in part) to his grandmother's babysitting gig. He did a lot of community theatre but by the time he graduated from high school, he stopped performing. After a quick (not great!) experience at a Christian bible college, Jonathan had the opportunity to audition for the University of Illinois and he took it. He worked hard, he wanted to learn, he used the tools they gave him, and he kicked off his prolific career. Jonathan has this No Shortcuts mantra and it's definitely the vibe of his three episodes. From professional wrestling, to a metaphysical discussion of Beyonce's Renaissance, to his love of small details, it all seems to come back to how all of these things effect his performance in Hamilton and everything else he does. /// Jonathan on Instagram Jade Armor The Plate Show Podcast /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Feb 18
47 min
Welcome back to Charles Simmons 2.0! Charles is currently George Washington on the UK/Ireland tour and previously originated the role in Hamburg, Germany. This week, Charles talks more about joining his new company including how the amazing cast and crew helped make his transition super easy, all the craziness leading up to opening night, and adjusting to life in the UK. Plus, he talks about his all time favorite Hamilton moment, and Charles does a deep dive on some of the lyrics he thinks might actually hit harder in German than they do in English. Remember: Charles is a self-proclaimed Hamilton superfan, so he spares no detail. #339: Charles Simmons // G.Wash in Hamilton Germany // Part One #340: Charles Simmons // G.Wash in Hamilton Germany // Part Two /// Charles Simmons Charles on Instagram Charles on Facebook Charles on Youtube /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps
Feb 11
1 hr 1 min
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