The Broadway smash Hamilton follows the rise of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honour, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of the USA. The musical headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from August 19 to September 7.
Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, RnB and Broadway, Hamilton has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, it has won a Grammy, Olivier Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
More timely than ever, the sung-and-rapped-through musical tells the story of Hamilton’s life – the revolutionary, visionary, and youngest of the founding fathers – and his death at the hand of Vice President Aaron Burr.
Born out of wedlock in the Caribbean and abandoned by his father, Hamilton was just 22 when he served as General Washington’s aide-de-camp during the Revolutionary War, and 34 when he became the USA’s first Secretary of the Treasury. Today, Hamilton’s portrait is featured on the American $10 bill.
Veteran actress Marja Harmon portrays American socialite Angelica Schuyler, the sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton. Harmon recently sat down with Curtains Up for a candid Q&A.
Did you always want to be in musical theatre?
Marja Harmon: No, I kind of fell into theatre. I loved singing and always really enjoyed using my voice, and eventually people suggested I should audition for community shows and things like that. So I kind of fell into it and then really enjoyed it. But I didn’t grow up watching the Tonys or paying a lot of attention to Broadway.
You are a Broadway veteran, having co-starred in The Book of Mormon and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
People think Broadway is glamour and grandeur but the reality is doing eight shows a week is incredibly difficult and grueling. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was my Broadway debut. I was working with theatrical giants, which was incredibly intimidating and definitely baptism by fire in a lot of ways. But I was a sponge and learned so much from James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad. I soaked up as many lessons as I could.
You were in the North American tour of The Lion King, and now Hamilton. National tours are tough on the road. How do you manage it?
It’s definitely a challenge. Eight shows a week is tough. Doing eight shows a week on the road can be tougher. I quickly learned what I need to feel comfortable and grounded, and this allows you to practice discipline and self-care. I also always brings something from home to make my hotel room more cozy and homey. The perks are that you get to see the world, and I’m so excited to visit Montreal.
I must ask you what it was like to be cast in the TV sitcom Murphy Brown?
TV auditions are so interesting! I feel like you do them and they go up into the ether and you never hear anything. So when I got a part it was very exciting. It’s a change of pace being on-set versus being in the theatre. Also, just watching Tyne Daly and Candice Bergen riff off each other was pretty entertaining.
How has being a Black actor affected your career?
In every way. To the point where, honestly, I still get emotional about it. It’s why Hamilton is so important to me. I was out to dinner the other night with some of my younger cast mates, and they were talking about the importance of Hamilton pre- and post-pandemic. And I was like, “You know, I would like to add the importance of Hamilton to our industry. Period.”
Before Hamilton, the idea that black and brown people could sell and carry leads and shows that weren’t based on some type of suffering or tropes had never really been done. I spent years really not being seen. Now for the first time, as Angelica Schuyler, I feel like I see myself onstage. She is a black woman getting to be every single facet of kaleidoscope emotion and characteristic that my white counterparts always got to play. I think Hamilton has changed our industry.
It’s also very cool to be a part of the show that changes depending on what’s happening culturally and politically right now. Performing the show feels like a protest, and that’s how we treat it, this is our way to express ourselves right now.
What is your favourite number in Hamilton?
The song Satisfied which is my character Angelica’s big number. It’s the hardest rap in the show. It’s incredibly difficult to sing and rap and go back between the two, and I feel such immense pressure every single night when I do it. I get nervous every single night before I do it, and feel relief every time it’s over. But it’s a challenge that I welcome nightly!
Hamilton headlines Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts from August 19 to September 7. Click here for tickets.
Performance schedule:
August 19 to 22: 7:30pm
August 23 and 24: 1pm and 7:30pm
August 26 to 29: 7:30pm
August 30 and 31: 1pm and 7:30pm
September 2 to 5: 7:30pm
September 6 and 7: 1pm and 7:30pm
Production photos courtesy evenko and Broadway Across Canada.
