Since it’s release on 3 July, Hamilton has swept the globe like wildfire. Twitter is still buzzing about the film and the cast recording has stayed consistently in the charts, reaching its all-time peak of number two in the Billboard 200.
If like me, you haven’t been able to get enough of Hamilton since you watched it, I’m sure you’re itching to see more of the cast. Here’s a list of other projects starring the talented original cast of Hamilton for you to indulge in:
In the Heights
In the Heights was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical to hit Broadway. Set over three days, the show follows the people who live in the largely Latin neighbourhood of Washington Heights. The show was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning four including “Best Musical”.
The original cast features Miranda himself as Usnavi, the main character, and Christopher Jackson who stars as Washington in the Hamilton film. Other cast members of In The Heights have gone onto portray various roles in the subsequent tour and Broadway casts of Hamilton.
The soundtrack is available to stream and is filled with stellar vocals and catchy musical numbers. Now this entry is a bit of a double whammy as there is a film adaption currently set to be released in June 2021, starring Anthony Ramos as Usnavi – who originated the role of John Laurens/Philip Schuyler in Hamilton.
21 Chump Street
Another Miranda written musical starring Anthony Ramos available for you to watch is 21 Chump Street. Available to watch on This American Life’s YouTube channel, the 14-minute-long musical is based on the real-life news story of a high school student who fell in love with an undercover cop investigating the sale of drugs.
Any fans of Tik Tok who watch the show may recognise clips of the musical’s soundtrack as they were became popular sounds on the app.
Bring It On: The Musical
Image credit: WhatsOnStage
In case you thought Miranda hadn’t written enough Broadway content, here’s another musical for you to listen to if you crave more of his music. With music written by Miranda, Bring It On is based on the 2000 film of the same name. Whilst the musical itself can’t be watched anywhere, the soundtrack is available to stream.
The show also features Hamilton cast member Ariana DeBose as Nautica, who played “The Bullet” that (spoiler) kills Hamilton at the end of the show.
Ariana DeBose
Image credit: Hollywood Reporter
“The Bullet” has a massive year coming up herself. 2020 will see her star in two other movie adaptations of musicals, alongside Hamilton – the Ryan Murphy directed Netflix film The Prom and Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story remake – playing Anita. She can also be heard on the cast recordings of Broadway musicals A Bronx Tale, and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical which earnt her a Tony nomination.
Solo Music Projects
It’s no shock that such a talented cast would branch out and create their own music.
Aaron Burr actor Leslie Odom Jr released his Jazz-pop album “Mr” in November 2019, which since Hamilton’s release has been rocketing up the US iTunes’ charts.
John Laurens actor Anthony Ramos also released his debut album, “The Good & the Bad” in October of 2019. The music video of his single “Mind Over Matter” stars Hamilton co-star and now fiancée Jasmine Cephas Jones, who released her own EP of original music titled “Blue Bird” this March.
TV & Film
Hamilton stars can be found in so many TV programmes and films, so I thought I’d narrow it down to a couple to fill your time with. If you fell in love with Jonathan Groff while watching Hamilton, why not watch him in something less spit-filled. He stars as the lead character in Netflix’s Mindhunter where, as an FBI agent, he interviews various imprisoned serial killers. Alternatively, you could watch him in his starring role as iceman Kristoff (and Sven’s singing voice) in both Frozen films, now available to stream on Disney+.
Image credit: Esquire
If you feel like you’ll never be satisfied simply by watching her Tony-winning performance as Angelica Schuyler, you’ll be pleased to know that Renée Elise Goldsberry has also taken her turn on the screen. You can hear her singing duets with Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, or see her as scientist Quell in Netflix’s futuristic series Altered Carbon. She also starred in the film Waves, alongside Sterling K. Brown and Lucas Hedges.
However, if Lafayette’s tactical brilliance is more your taste, you can watch Daveed Diggs in sitcom Black-ish as Tracee Ellis Ross’ brother. Though, if you’re craving something a little more musical theatre, then I suggest Smash. The two-season show follows a group of people creating two new Broadway musicals.
The cast is packed full of Broadway alums, but most importantly features a pre-Hamilton Leslie Odom Jr and Eliza Schuyler herself, Phillipa Soo.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg as the talented cast of Hamilton can be found all over in the worlds of Broadway, TV, and film. Hopefully, this is enough to keep you satisfied for a short while…
By Robbie Nichols
Feature image: Star Tribune