THE SUCCESS

You’ll be Back

JASON ARROW: My agent rang me. It was during the second, longer Melbourne lockdown and I assumed something had happened to the show, that it might not be going ahead because of COVID-19. So I was astounded. I didn’t speak for a couple of minutes and then most of it was expletives. I mean, what can you do after that? If it was a normal year, I might have gone out to celebrate with my partner, Alex. Instead, I unpacked the dishwasher. That was my celebration.

LYNDON WATTS: At first, I was pretty shocked when I was told I had the role. I reckon it took about a week for it to feel real. I had my boyfriend Max with me when it all happened. And telling mum on the phone, that was a pretty special conversation to have. Mums tend to be more excited than the people auditioning, so it really is more of a win for them than it is for us.

CHLOE ZUEL: My agent called and I thought he was calling about something else, because it had been nine weeks since my final tape. By that point, I had pushed it out of my mind for self-preservation. So when I got the call, my agent just said: “You got it. You’re Eliza.” Even thinking about it now, I feel sick. I was walking on the street and I had to pull myself over into a bush and just stand there processing. It was like I’d won the lotto. The first person I called was my husband, Rob Mallett. I can’t tell you what he said because he swore, but he couldn’t believe it either.

THE CHARACTERS

History Has its Eyes on You

JASON ARROW: The thing about Hamilton that I latch onto is his perseverance. He pushes through anything that’s thrown at him. But the personal connection is that he reminds me of my parents. They immigrated here from South Africa and they had nothing. My dad used to work all the time and my mother did as well. They built themselves up and now they’re doing really well for themselves. Yeah, I’m very proud of them.

LYNDON WATTS: Aaron Burr has quickly become a legacy role for black men in theatre. As a black man in theatre, often the roles ask very small parts of you, for very specific things of you, and it can make you feel a little bit boxed in. But Burr has been written in such a wonderful way that it really does ask a lot of you. So it’s a real gift and an honour to step into that legacy and be a part of it.

CHLOE ZUEL: I ended up auditioning for all three of the sisters. I personally thought I was an Angelica [Hamilton’s sister-in-law], they always said I was an Eliza [Hamilton’s wife]. Eliza does represent some of the softer, more gentle parts of my personality, but I haven’t been given the opportunity to show them on stage very often. So that’s really special to me.

BRENT HILL: Look, King George III has been played by many excellent comic actors - Jonathan Groff, Brian D’Arcy, Andrew Rannells - but I’m just looking at the character and his motivations. And this guy is a monarch who has been told yes for his entire life. And then he’s being told no by the American colonies. And he’s just reacting to that. I’m still gently exploring it and I’m doing it through the realm of animals at the moment: is he a snow leopard or an octopus?

THE REHEARSALS

Room Where it Happened

JASON ARROW: It was really exciting to: 1. Be back in a rehearsal room, because who knew when that was gonna happen again and 2. Probably just seeing the range of people and diversity and representation in the room.

We felt very privileged to be there and we had this weight on our shoulders, of course, because of the gravity of the show and what it represents, but, all that aside, it’s just a satisfying feeling when you go, “All right, let’s do this, let’s get to work.”

LYNDON WATTS: By the time the cotton swab was up my nose for the COVID-19 test on the first day of rehearsals, it felt very real. We spend the entire day working on the material and then I go home and have all these lightbulb moments. And then I bring those to work the next day. My take on the character is constantly shifting and growing and we’re only halfway through. It’s going to keep changing.

CHLOE ZUEL: I started doing singing lessons every week before we started rehearsals. And I also try and keep my body super warm and fit and ready to go. I’ll do my vocal warm-up every day, stretch my tongue, my neck and then at the end of the day, I will do a warm down and get a good amount of sleep.

BRENT HILL: It’s been pretty overwhelming, especially considering I genuinely had the thought in 2020 that theatre was done. But, you know, watching everybody, it’s so good. It’s so fun. I mean, obviously, it’s so well written, but the vocal blend in this group of people is next level. It sounds so great. And I’m like, “We’re set. This is gonna be good.”

THE CHALLENGES

In the eye of the hurricane

JASON ARROW: I’m usually pretty good at remembering words quickly, but there’s so many [the show averages 144 words per minute]. So, for me, it’s kind of just not thinking about remembering words and being in the moment and trusting I know it. The second I start to think about what I’m doing, is the second I have forgotten what I’m about to say.

LYNDON WATTS: The places this show takes you has been quite unexpected emotionally. There’s something about this material, about these characters that feels insanely real and incredibly close to a lot of the stuff we’ve all experienced. There are times we are overcome with emotion as we’re performing songs and it becomes quite difficult. So that’s something I’ve had to work through because Wait for It is a great song and no one wants to miss the second half of it because Aaron Burr is busy crying in the middle of the stage.

CHLOE ZUEL: Something I’m working on is navigating how to be able to emotionally and vocally give everything or give enough, eight shows a week. What has been challenging is managing emotionally the roller-coaster of Eliza, and figuring out how much of myself I can bring and how to move through what is a very difficult show for most of us.

BRENT HILL: The trick with this role is finding a way to stay engaged and connected with the company from the beginning of the show. For instance, everyone else is involved in the opening number, but I don’t come on until seven songs later. There’s a moment in the first section where everyone’s lined up across the front of the stage and perhaps I’ll be in that line, just in the wings. Or maybe I’ll just invest in an espresso machine and stay busy backstage.

FIRST SHOW

Blow us all Away

JASON ARROW: I felt very ready for an audience. I wasn’t necessarily nervous, but there was a lot of adrenaline. Especially when that cheer happened. We were there for about 25 seconds and it got to a point where I raised my hand to indicate that I was moving on. It felt like a stadium concert, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced in Australian theatre. I know in America they do that, but usually they’re applauding for, you know, Patti LuPone. It’s such a mammoth show, at the end we’re all kind of emotionally drained. I went home and watched Bob’s Burgers to relax.

LYNDON WATTS: A big part of the storytelling for Aaron Burr is connection with the audience. There’s a conversation that happens throughout the entire show. So to have the audience there is everything, it’s the other side of the conversation. I love the idea of some people really not being onside with Aaron and I love the idea of some people really understanding him. I think it’s one of the biggest spines of the show, which is seeing people in their totality and the complexities of every human being. The show is taxing on all fronts - spiritually, energy, vocally, physically - it asks a lot. I was exhausted and elated but I went home and slept like an absolute baby.

CHLOE ZUEL: I started laughing when the audience wouldn’t stop clapping for Jason and that lightened the mood. Then, when I turned around and saw 2200 people in the audience, it was overwhelming, because it’s the first time we’ve really shared with an audience in over a year. Seeing that many people in the same place, it’s incredible. In the show, I’m still figuring out how a few big emotional scenes go for me, because it’s quite intense. When it’s over, I shove almonds in my mouth and do a cool down in the car on the way home and try and get to bed before midnight.

BRENT HILL: I don’t remember the first 25 minutes of the show, but I can feel the electricity coming from the stage. For my first song, You’ll Be Back, I can’t just warm up into a number, I have to drop into it and be at the same level that everyone else is, 20 minutes into the show. So I’m making sure that I’m doing the warm-ups like everyone else, so we’re all at the same point. Maybe I’ll bring in a cycle machine or a rowing machine. I’ve built an IKEA tea cabinet to have backstage. My drink of choice? English Breakfast, of course!

Hamilton is at the Lyric Theatre, Pyrmont until September.