The Hamilcast: A Hamilton Podcast

#133: I was louder than the crack in the bell // Part One

Hamilton set designer David Korins stops buy to drink martinis, eat olives, do headstands, talk about the upcoming #Hamiltent exhibition (OH MY GOD YOU GUYS IT SOUNDS AMAZING), why the original turntables had to recently be replaced, and why The Cabinet™ can only get nicer and more generous. But David isn't just about Broadway so we talk about many of his other projects and he gives a *lot* of excellent advice. 

The final installment of #LasVegust with Hamilton's Philip Company! Here's the second half of my hang with cast members Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Shoba Narayan, Ta'Rea Campbell, Elijah Malcomb, Tyler McKenzie, Conroe Brooks, and Abby Jaros, as well as musicians Austin Burket, Buffi Jacobs, and Lily Ling. I miss Vegas already! Massive thank you to the Neiman Marcus Cafe on Las Vegas Blvd!

#LasVegust continues with Hamilton's Philip Company! This week is the first part of my hang with cast members Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Shoba Narayan, Ta'Rea Campbell, Elijah Malcomb, Tyler McKenzie, Conroe Brooks, and Abby Jaros, as well as musicians Austin Burket, Buffi Jacobs, and Lily Ling. This was so fun! Massive thank you to the Neiman Marcus Cafe on Las Vegas Blvd!

Welcome to three weeks of Hamilton's Philip Company in Las Vegas! First up, Fergie Philippe (Mulligan/Madison). Fergie is the one of the main reasons I went to Vegas (Tyler McKenzie & Julian Ramos helped), and he unfortunately couldn't make the big recording with members of the Philip Company. Since Fergie is the nicest, he asked if he could still be part of #LasVegust and offered to come to hang in our hotel room and chat about Hamilton and tour life.

In Alex Lacamoire's third episode Alex talks about how electronic sounds are used in Hamilton, why the orchestrations of It's Quiet Uptown destroy us every single time we listen to it, more musical themes, and finally... we do Barbershop Beastie Boys. Alex, please come back! (It's Quiet Uptown is discussed and played from 12:00-14:45 and again from 16:30-21:05) Will Wells:  http://willwellsmusic.com Aesop Rock - 1,000 O'Clock:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-qrvz_tA_k

This week we dive into Lin-Manuel Miranda's favorite arrangements and how Alex Lacamoirecame to make them: Yorktown (YAS!), Wait For It (YOU'RE NOT READY), One Last Time ("f@%k you strings!"), and That Would Be Enough (Lin hasn't heard this yet - yes, there were tears). Oh! AND! Alex plays an exclusive track you can't hear anywhere else called "Hamilton Finale Idea" and while neither Alex, LMM, nor Thomas Kail remember exactly what it was for I can promise you that your world will never be the same. 

Alex Lacamoire is here! Get ready, you guys, your minds are about to be blown. Mike joins me for #JuLac and in this first episode, Alex tells us all about The Schuyler Sisters, the Hamilton song that went through the most changes. But he doesn't just tell us... he brought all the demos so we get to HEAR the evolution of the song. And! Alex plays his favorite Hamilton song in the style of Billy Joel, Rush, Fiona Apple, and Tori Amos. This episode is packed. We had the most fun ever and I hope you love it. 

Tommy Kail is back again this week and I am reminded, by Tommy, that no one thinks I'm laid back. Tommy talks about the casting process including how Hamilton has the feeling of a family reunion, and he gives his opinion on what happens in the very last moment of the show. In non-Hamilton related topics, Tommy tells the story of how he and Lin-Manuel Miranda ended up in the Sex and the City movie, his experience directing Grease LIVE!, and why "Mona Lisa" by Slick Rick is a defining song for him. 

You simply must meet Thomas. Thomas! Tommy Kail and I are naturally at 1.5 speed, so that's fun! Tommy tells me all about the upcoming Hamilton exhibition in Chicago, and how the job of a director changes (or doesn't) as a production evolves. We bond over It's a Wonderful Life, Tommy reminds cast members/alums of The Hamilcast that he *does* hear the stories they tell, and Tommy confirms that he is not in fact Alex Lacamoire. OR IS HE??? (He's not, you guys, they just both have really fantastic hair. )

Hamilton dresser Chris Leary is back to tell us all about why we should all go to Puerto Rico on our next vacation (or help any way we can), how the energy at Hamilton is always changing, and that one time the turntable broke during My Shot and wasn't fixed until after You'll Be Back, and about a million other things. Hooray! http://hispanicfederation.org/donate/

Chris Leary, dresser at Hamilton on Broadway, and I laugh our way through ALL THE THINGS. Chris gives backstage details from a dresser's perspective, explains how he almost didn't go to the opening night of Hamilton, and proudly declares himself a Tonya Harding truther. We also discuss how excellent he is at Halloween, why I'm #TeamJoanna Jones when it comes to pranks, and we get on the phone with the one and only Lexi Lawson. 

Hamilton Broadway swing Robert Walters is back this week! Robert talks what it's like to be an Australian in a show that has reinvigorated such an interest in American History, he tells us what he yells during The Room Where it Happens, sends love to Karen Olivo and Miguel Cervantes, and!! He does impressions of fellow cast members James Monroe Iglehart, Jevon McFerrin, and Eddy Lee. We had the best time! Enjoy!

Robert Walters, a swing in Hamilton on Broadway, is here to drink Robitos and tell me about how a boy from Oz made it to Broadway! We talk his Australian roots, work visa woes, his crazy Hamilton audition story, his origins with Hamilton in Chicago, how in love he is with his wife Jen (it's adorable, you guys), and that time he told Alex Lacamoire to piss off. SPOILER: it all ends well, fam! And over the course of his two episodes, Rob and I decide that we were most likely separated at birth. 

Andrés Forero is back and we kick off Part Two with questions from Sir Alex Lacamoire himself! We talk a LOT about Yorktown (and Rage Against the Machine, believe it or not), and many of the other tracks on which Andrés made his mark or how Andrés' puts it: “it’s a tiny fingerprint on a little tiny piece of a masterpiece.” And for the first time in the history of The Hamilcast... there are outtakes!