The Hamilcast: A Hamilton Podcast

Alex Nicholson is currently on the Philip Tour covering Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Mulligan/Madison, King George III, and George Washington. His Hamilton journey begins in 2017 and will lead him to his Broadway debut, traveling the United States, and allowed him to reclaim Toronto after a traumatic college experience.  In between Hamilton auditions,  Alex was thriving in the regional theatre world performing in shows like Ragtime, Jersey Boys, and In the Heights. When 2020 hit he helped his in-laws keep their diner alive: the local gem and true definition of a mom and pop joint Uncle Charlie’s Finer Diner in Massachusetts. Alex Nicholson on Instagram Uncle Charlie's Finer Diner /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Alex Nicholson is on the pod!  Alex is currently a standby on the Philip Tour covering: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Mulligan/Madison, King George III, and George Washington. He’s performed with Hamilton on Broadway, all over the country with the And Peggy and Philip Tours, and also got to perform in his home country of Canada.  This week Alex talks about his amazing high school experience, healing from the trauma caused by abusive and gaslighting college professors, and the total game changer that was Circle in the Square Theatre School. Alex also explains his work visa situation, opening his own theatre company, and passionately discusses The Real Housewives of both Salt Lake City and New York City. Alex Nicholson on Instagram Uncle Charlie's Finer Diner /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) wraps up her series by diving into her full Hamilton experience, including how she originally turned it down. From overcoming her intimidation to finding her (and Angelica's!) voice in a show about men, Aisha takes us on a deep dive into how her personal connection to Angelica leads to a layered, moving, and feminist performance. Plus, Aisha answers questions from the Patreon Peeps and talks about going back to save the day at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the last minute, her goal to be on the big screen, and why she doesn't believe in time travel of any kind. Aisha Jawando on Instagram Aisha's Vintage/Pre-Loved Jewelry /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) is back for round two, talking about her experience doing The Book of Mormon and Motown, and how she's always a little bit in "swing mode" even when playing a principle role. Aisha also tells the incredible story of originating the role of Alline Bullock and working with the legendary Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. When she eventually took over the role of Tina (from the fantastic Adrienne Warren), Aisha explains how she learned about leading a company, setting boundaries, and rewiring her brain to work outside her comfort zone. Aisha Jawando on Instagram Aisha's Vintage/Pre-Loved Jewelry /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Aisha Jawando (Angelica Schuyler, the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton) is on the pod! In this episode, she talks about her childhood, her training, and the start of her career, including why she (wrongly!) thought lead roles weren't in the realm of possibility for her. Plus, her side hustle of selling pre-loved jewelry, her connection to her Nigerian culture, and dealing with being on tour as a Black woman. Aisha Jawando on Instagram Aisha's Vintage/Pre-Loved Jewelry /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

This week wraps up my chat with Zach Bravo, a swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour. He talks about his experience as Rum Tum Tugger on the 40th Anniversary Tour of Cats and he candidly discusses his mental health. Zach is also taking questions from the Patreon Peeps talking about dream roles and superheroes, and Zach leaves us with some very, very inspirational final words. Zach Bravo on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Zach Bravo (Swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is back and this week we’re talking about Zach’s amazing family, his experience at Pace University, and why he’ll always defend Spiderman: Turn off the Dark.  Zach started off not wanting to listen to Hamilton before seeing it but like so many of us… he lost that battle. His first time listening to the album was euphoric and finally seeing the show was fantastic but he was intimidated by the choreography. Fun fact: as that was happening, his mother leaned over in the middle of the performance and said, “I can totally see you in this show.”  This week, Zach walks us through his Hamilton audition process and talks about how booking the show felt like psychosis: after five years of work and stress and auditions they suddenly need him in Detroit… TOMORROW. Zach Bravo on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Zach Bravo (Swing on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is here! This week, Zach talks about growing up as a Puerto Rican only child in Queens whose whole life changed when he tagged along to his cousin’s dance class. Thanks to his incredibly supportive family Zach grew up training to do what he loves, from performing Aladdin Jr. to thriving at the famous LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York City. Zach Bravo on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

As I wrap up with Billy Nevers (Lafayette/Jefferson on the Hamilton UK/Ireland tour), we kick off with questions from the Patreon Peeps. Billy talks about coming to terms with and taking the power back from problematic founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, describing the terrifying and exhilarating first moments of starting the show as Aaron Burr, the beautiful madness of being in a cast with so many of his dearest friends, and why we should all be watching every iteration of The Traitors.  Billy Nevers on TikTok Billy Nevers on Instagram Legally Blonde | West End LIVE 2022 /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

In his second episode, Billy Nevers (Lafayette/Jefferson on the UK/Ireland tour) talks about his extensive history with & Juliet, including working with the fantastic Bill Sherman and the prolific Max Martin. Billy also talks about how Legally Blonde was one of the best experiences of his life, how he booked Lafayette/Jefferson for the Hamilton tour, and tells me about the fateful phone call where he was asked a very loaded question: How do you feel about Aaron Burr? Billy Nevers on TikTok Billy Nevers on Instagram & Juliet (Original London Cast Recording) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Billy Nevers is currently in the UK/Ireland tour of Hamilton playing Lafayette/Jefferson. He’s also in the very rare position of being a principal who covers another principal - he’s the second standby for Aaron Burr, which is pretty unprecedented! Billy grew up in London in a very theatrical family, so he was surrounded by it from a super young age: music was always on, he was always going to see shows, his mom was a drama teacher. His talent and passion were undeniably there from the start but Billy learned early on about the gatekeeping people of color have to deal with when trying to break into this industry. In this episode Billy talks about the BIPOC experience in the arts and education world, how doing what you love is really hard work (and that's a good thing!), and doing Jesus Christ Superstar at an outdoor theater in the summer of 2020. Billy Nevers on TikTok Billy Nevers on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

Rubén J. Carbajal (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton on Broadway) is wrapping up his three episode series and we are kicking it off with his punk rock version of The Story of Tonight! Plus, he’s taking questions from the Patreon Peeps which includes (but is not limited to!) his favorite LA food spots, adjusting to the East Coast, living life “heart-forward”, his love of Spanish music, and punking Pitbull on MTV.  Rubén recently made his Broadway debut as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, but not before over 1,000 performances on the road including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Puerto Rico with Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Rubén has always been so present in his journey to this point and one of the greatest parts about his journey is that he always let his personality come through no matter what. Rubén J. Carbajal on Instagram /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

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

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 audi

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

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

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

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

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

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