Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to news radio. Elevnton kfab Emrie Songer with you.
I have a great opportunity as many times as I
can every year with my friends at the Omaha Performing
Arts to see the amazing shows that are coming to town.
And a show that needs no introduction is in town
right now. Hamilton, Yes, Hamilton. We are blessed to be
joined by a couple of the cast members. Jared Hamilton
(00:21):
first plays Marquith de Lafayette, as well as Thomas Jefferson. Jared,
thanks so much for being in the show today.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hey, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm also blessed to be joined by Kai Toumani Chicosi.
He plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. Palin around with
Jared on the stage quite a bit. Kai, thanks so
much for being here too.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yes, sir, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay, I'm going to start with Jared first and foremost, Hamilton.
This is a crazy show that I think our generation
is going to be one of the shows that they'll
be talking about for the rest of our lives as
one of the iconic shows of our lifetimes. What's your
history with this show AT's and what was it like
(01:01):
to try to get cast for this tour, especially.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Knowing how iconic these roles are.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, my journey has been quite a blessing.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
I've been with the show for seven years, so I've
done all of the at least North American productions of Hamilton,
so all the different versions so Broadway, Chicago, LA, all
of the touring companies that have gone through here.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So it's been great.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
And to book the show back in twenty eighteen was
just a dream come true. So it's been just such
an honor to be a part of this whole process.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Have you been in the same role the whole time.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
No, I've been doing different things.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I started off as a swing covering a lot of
the principles and two ensemble tracks, and then I became
a standby, and then after the pandemic, I did a
lot of covering with leave of absences of primary characters,
and then these past two years I've been playing the
role of Thomas Jefferson.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
It's not ideal circumstances, but what a great way, like
if you're kind of one of the standbys, or you
know somebody that's just kind of waiting for an opportunity.
A lot of great opportunities to show what you can do,
and all of a sudden it's like, hey, this guy
could be an awesome Jefferson.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah. Tom Brady started off as a background It's.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Right, Kai, I'm gonna ask you the exact same question.
What's the history for you in this program?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (02:24):
For me, I'm I'm brands thinking new I I started
with this tour we launched out, uh last last summer.
I got I got cast last year for the first time,
and and uh yeah, it's really really beautiful to be
in the company of so many incredibly incredibly talented people.
I mean you talk about the the the vast company
(02:47):
of standbys that we have in this production. It's really
incredible to be in a show that's this big enough
to have so many extraordinary talented people that they are like,
you know, almost an infinite amount of combinations of human
beings who could show up on any night that you
you see the show.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And not only is the.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
Quality like uniformly excellent, but you know, each individual performer
brings out different facet so like even inside of a
show that is you know, been consistent in our in
our tour running for this last year. You know, we
still find things that surprise ourselves and the audiences each night.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, it's funny you too, especially in the way that
you know James Madison Thomas Jefferson the second act kind
of interacts throughout. Did you know a lot about Tom
or James Madison when you took on the role, because
you know the way that Linn Manuel Miranda kind of
writes him, and there's he's kind of like a bit
of a sidekick, but he's got a crazy history himself.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So how much did you know about him before you
took this role?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
He certainly does.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:55):
I grew up in in the DC area, so not
terribly far from from James Madison's estate in central Virginia,
and uh, I kind of grew up in in the
shadow of a lot of the UH plantations of of
the Virginian founding fathers who feature very prominently in our show, Monticello,
(04:19):
Mount Vernon. So I had a I had a pretty
and also you know, UH, going to to Maryland public schools,
they'll send you to UH history tours like Colonial Williamsburg,
and so you know, I I had had some exposure
to these people, and I think, uh, it's it's so
(04:41):
interesting to encounter the versions of them that are are
put forward in this show, because you know, part of
the the source material is kind of like the historical
record of these people, but also it's it's, uh, these
are are playful versions of of.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
The real human being.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
So you know, we kind of lean on a couple
by graphical elements and combine that with the musical styles
and it's it's a lot of fun to be able
to play with Jared night and night Out and kind
of be this villainous duo tag team.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Yeah, it's awesome Kai Toumani Hkosi and Jared Hailton joining us.
So we'll go back to Jared here. Similar question Thomas Jefferson.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
He's got quite a history.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
He wrote the Declaration of in the of Independence, and
he does kind of emerge in the second act as
a major rival of our hero Alexander Hamilton. The original production,
I mean that the kind of like the gimpie walk
and that just the attitude and then the rap battle
kind of debates, but you kind of add your own
(05:43):
flavor to what you know Thomas Jefferson is in this play.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So do you have like a vision for that? Is
there a direction to that?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Because you're so you know, demonstrative with your emotions on
the stage, and it makes it every time that you're
on the stage, it's just really really funny to watch
what you're up to. So how did you kind of
interpret what Thomas Jefferson in this play was as written
in the original play by lin Manuel Morana.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I think some of the cool things that I learned
when I came into Hamilton is how much the creative
team partners with the actors to put them in these
roles and not And first of all, let me just
say David's the goat.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Okay, David is the goat.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
However, I love how the creative team when I came
into Hamilton was just like, you're not doing the v
You're gonna do Jared, you know, as Thomas Jefferson. And
so that permission to bring my own flavor to this
role has been a two year journey and that seven
year journey honestly, because you know, you never stop learning
(06:49):
at Hamilton, and there's so many new things that you
pick up along the way. But yeah, no, just being
able to just take it on and just have different
perspectives that might not have you know, been looked at
you know with the v you know, everybody has that
image of that, but you know, I think you know,
(07:09):
having that permission has just been such a joy to
have with this show and just with the team that
they that we work with.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
On the ground, of.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Course, Hamilton is no it's a fun, kind of playful
look at a history lesson, yeah, you know, and people
who are looking for a complete history of all these folks,
you're never going to get that in two and a
half hours, but it's a really good snapshot of an
important time in American history.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
But the music made the play.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
I mean, the production is all about the music and
the way that it's performed. Like we said, it's rap
battles for the debates, right, and you have different tunes
in the first act is your original characters Lafayette and
Hercules Milligan and then you guys morphin the second act
to the rivals of Hamilton and George Washington. So it
(07:56):
is like before you got on, how familiar were you
with the music? How inspirational was that music for you
wanting to be a part of this program.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
It's like you just said, it's the music that made
the show, and the music was what was released before
you know it was on Broadway. At least, you know,
from my perspective, I was in New York when the
show first boomed out, and you know, when it was
at the Public, they released you know, the cast album,
and so everybody in my circles all over New York
was just blasting the album in their New York apartments,
(08:28):
and I knew. I was very familiar with the music
before even seeing the show, So it was just completely
a different it was, that's what it is, different, Like
you know with Broadway musicals, that's just not necessarily what
you would think to hear. And not only that, but
I think that it wasn't given permission to be, you know,
(08:50):
allow the spaces for hip hop to be on Broadway
and be a part of Broadway wasn't. It was kind
of hard for it to be present there and have
permission to be able to create a little bit. And
so it was exciting that that sound was a part
of the Broadway community.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Now.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
It was exciting that it was complicated, and it was
exciting that we were like, what is this show like
because we couldn't see it, so we can only imagine,
and then finally seeing it live was just even better
to combine the music and what it was visually. But like, yeah,
the music was just so inspirational and just so powerful,
just because like not being able to see it, the
(09:29):
music just was so much detail and just so dense
and just so fun and everything, and so yeah, no,
I just was so inspired by that and it just
really touched me.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
So kay, I just kind of piggybacking on that. You know,
you're new to the cast, you've had you know, has
it already been a decade since this thing kind of
blew up? I mean, like it's kind of crazy to
think how long this thing has been this popular. But
for you, before you got to the cast, was there
a a song or a moment in the show that
(10:02):
really spoke to you? And how does that difference than
the way that you experience some of those moments on
the stage.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
M yeah.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
I mean, like like Jared was saying, when the when
the score first came out, when this, uh if you
were if you were outside, when when the phenomena of
Hamilton hit in any any kind of theater affiliated space,
you certainly heard it a lot. And uh yeah, I
(10:32):
feel like I remember listening to the to the score
for the first time in the mid twenty tens, after
much in encouragement from from my theater friends.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I I'm.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
Not even as well versed in kind of like the
canon of musical theater as a lot of my colleagues are,
but I have a really really deep love and long
relationship with the musical genres that this musical is based
off of. So I remember listening to the score for
the first time and kind of hearing you know, so
many musical illusions and motifs and references from you know,
(11:14):
this incredible history of of hip hop music, kind of
black popular music over the last two three decades, and
in a form that you know, as Jared is saying this,
this musical provides us this entre for this genre to
to exist in in in this Broadway space. While while
(11:35):
this form has been like the dominant form of like
American popular.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Music over the last two decades.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
And so it's it's it's really cool to be able
to like experience those little easter eggs for for acquainted listeners.
And one of the things is different about being able
to be inside it rather than listening to it for
the first time, is is just the getting to experience
(12:02):
the showmanship, right, like the genre of hip hop began
with you know, these forms of MCing. You know, these
people with a microphone and a turntable trying to like
move the crowd.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
And the lineage.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Of like rap battles.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
H as kind of juxtaposed in this musical with our
history of political discourse, right, politicians trying to tell you
who they are, what they stand for, why who they
oppose doesn't stand for or doesn't doesn't deserve a claim
or celebration or whatever. And I think those two things,
(12:39):
layered on top of each other are are really it's
a it's a it's a dense, uniquely American document, and
it's it's really fun to try and like, you know,
win over a crowd in real time, in in the
form that both these these politicians have, but also these
these musicians have over the course of our history.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
And you know, you speak to.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
Jared has you know, the most incredible Jefferson in the
second half, and and you know, it's it's really uh,
it's it's the definition of you know MC you know,
as certain rappers would say, move the crowd, you know
what I mean, Like he comes out and he moves
the crowd.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I have to see him also, right, And the same
thing with both of you. You guys are so visual
on the stage, even when it's not your turn to speak,
which which is one of the great things about this production.
We're speaking with Jared Hailton, who plays both Lafayette and
Thomas Jefferson, as well as Kai Toumani Chicosi who plays
Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You mentioned the Easter eggs.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
There are constant callbacks to previous songs as the.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Production goes on.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
It's just like the people call it let Me and
whel Randa genius, but it really is genius. And I
was watching and this is the thing. You could see
this show one hundred times and get something new every
time I was watching. And as George Washington's talking about,
I think it's in right hand Man, there's like Pirates
of Penzance like reference in there that I didn't catch before.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
And I was like, this, this guy is a genius.
Like I couldn't believe it. I sat there, I poked
my wife. It's like that's from fire and and finsants.
What's your favorite song, Kyle.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
We'll start with you, like like a moment whether it's
your song or a song that's just on the soundtrack
that you just you love to listen to.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
What is the favorite too.
Speaker 6 (14:28):
Yeah, I gotta I gotta say, Uh, my favorite song
is is uh is a deep cuz it is Washington
on your Side?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Is this?
Speaker 6 (14:37):
It's also selfish because you know, it's my favorite part
of the show to do. Yeah, maybe just a reflection
of me being in my hater era, but you know,
being a hater is fun, kids, Being a hater is
fun sometimes.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Hey, I want to be on the stage with you
guys when you're hating. I was like, Hey, those guys
are cool.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Yeah, And it's a it's a beautiful opportunity to be
able to, you know, be in in harmony literally and
figuratively with two incredibly talented performers every night, and and
the the small details and nuances both in the vocal
performance and the acting performance make it my favorite part
of the show.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
All right, Jared, what do you think I mean?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
He said it all like that. That is also my
favorite number. Washington on your Side.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
It's just so juicy and I love being in my
hater moment.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
What did Kendrick say about Hayden?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Yeah, that's that that that vibe and yeah, it's just
a moment in the show where you know, you know,
Jefferson is and Madison are the rival of Hamilton, and
like for all of Act one you see how the word,
how Hamilton uses his words, and how amazing his rap
is compared to anybody else. Like you kind of see
(15:50):
the Sons of Liberty at the top of the tavern
scene where they're kind of doing basic raps, right, they're.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Like boom boom boom.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Very old school nineties rap, and and you got like
this dude that comes in and starts spitting like buster
rhymes and you're like what. But then we come into
the second act and we finally meet a rival that
is you know, equal to him that it's like, well, bro,
I'm the original word guy, Like I have words too,
and and so like we're at this moment in the
(16:20):
show where like Jefferson for the first.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Time is like who is this dude?
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Like we got to get him out of here, right,
And I just really love that vibe that we bring
in that number of like how do we get this
dude out of here?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
And I hate him. I hate the way he.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Walks, I hate the way he talks, I hate the
way he dresses. But yeah, that is definitely one of
my favorite numbers to do with two amazing performers and JJ.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
And yeah, and JJ plays Aaron Burr and he does
a great job as well. But it's just funny that
you mentioned both acts because you are playing those roles
also in Act one, which is also fun I wish
I could sit here for hours and talk to you.
I know that you have a lot of other things
going on on the show is incredible. I know that
people who might be familiar with you know, Lynn Manuel
(17:05):
and Leslie Odom Junior and the original cast. You know,
like you said, this cast is doing interpretations of it
and it's a completely fresh take. It really feels like
a completely new show. There's a lot of energy in
the place that you guys bring different aspects to the
characters that you play, and it's super enjoyable. And it's
at the Orphium all the way through next weekend here
(17:27):
in Omaha. If you haven't seen Hamilton, you have to
see Hamilton, and these guys do such a great job.
If you can get a hold of a ticket a
ticket Omaha dot com be sure to do that and
I couldn't recommend this company in this production. More so
Jared Hallilton. You'll see him playing Lafayette and Jefferson. Big thanks, Ben,
really appreciate you coming in.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Thanks for having us. I love Omaha, y'all. It's a
beautiful day today.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Yeah, you've picked a great time to be here. And
then Kai tou Mani Chakosi playing Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.
Thank you will also, Sirve for being in here and
enjoy your time in Omaha.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Much appreciate it. Man only well
Welcome back to news radio. Elevnton kfab Emrie Songer with you.
I have a great opportunity as many times as I
can every year with my friends at the Omaha Performing
Arts to see the amazing shows that are coming to town.
And a show that needs no introduction is in town
right now. Hamilton, Yes, Hamilton. We are blessed to be
joined by a couple of the cast members. Jared Hamilton
(00:21):
first plays Marquith de Lafayette, as well as Thomas Jefferson. Jared,
thanks so much for being in the show today.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hey, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm also blessed to be joined by Kai Toumani Chicosi.
He plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. Palin around with
Jared on the stage quite a bit. Kai, thanks so
much for being here too.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Yes, sir, thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Okay, I'm going to start with Jared first and foremost, Hamilton.
This is a crazy show that I think our generation
is going to be one of the shows that they'll
be talking about for the rest of our lives as
one of the iconic shows of our lifetimes. What's your
history with this show AT's and what was it like
(01:01):
to try to get cast for this tour, especially.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Knowing how iconic these roles are.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, my journey has been quite a blessing.
Speaker 5 (01:10):
I've been with the show for seven years, so I've
done all of the at least North American productions of Hamilton,
so all the different versions so Broadway, Chicago, LA, all
of the touring companies that have gone through here.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So it's been great.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
And to book the show back in twenty eighteen was
just a dream come true. So it's been just such
an honor to be a part of this whole process.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
Have you been in the same role the whole time.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
No, I've been doing different things.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I started off as a swing covering a lot of
the principles and two ensemble tracks, and then I became
a standby, and then after the pandemic, I did a
lot of covering with leave of absences of primary characters,
and then these past two years I've been playing the
role of Thomas Jefferson.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
It's not ideal circumstances, but what a great way, like
if you're kind of one of the standbys, or you
know somebody that's just kind of waiting for an opportunity.
A lot of great opportunities to show what you can do,
and all of a sudden it's like, hey, this guy
could be an awesome Jefferson.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah. Tom Brady started off as a background It's.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Right, Kai, I'm gonna ask you the exact same question.
What's the history for you in this program?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (02:24):
For me, I'm I'm brands thinking new I I started
with this tour we launched out, uh last last summer.
I got I got cast last year for the first time,
and and uh yeah, it's really really beautiful to be
in the company of so many incredibly incredibly talented people.
I mean you talk about the the the vast company
(02:47):
of standbys that we have in this production. It's really
incredible to be in a show that's this big enough
to have so many extraordinary talented people that they are like,
you know, almost an infinite amount of combinations of human
beings who could show up on any night that you
you see the show.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
And not only is the.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
Quality like uniformly excellent, but you know, each individual performer
brings out different facet so like even inside of a
show that is you know, been consistent in our in
our tour running for this last year. You know, we
still find things that surprise ourselves and the audiences each night.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, it's funny you too, especially in the way that
you know James Madison Thomas Jefferson the second act kind
of interacts throughout. Did you know a lot about Tom
or James Madison when you took on the role, because
you know the way that Linn Manuel Miranda kind of
writes him, and there's he's kind of like a bit
of a sidekick, but he's got a crazy history himself.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So how much did you know about him before you
took this role?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
He certainly does.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (03:55):
I grew up in in the DC area, so not
terribly far from from James Madison's estate in central Virginia,
and uh, I kind of grew up in in the
shadow of a lot of the UH plantations of of
the Virginian founding fathers who feature very prominently in our show, Monticello,
(04:19):
Mount Vernon. So I had a I had a pretty
and also you know, UH, going to to Maryland public schools,
they'll send you to UH history tours like Colonial Williamsburg,
and so you know, I I had had some exposure
to these people, and I think, uh, it's it's so
(04:41):
interesting to encounter the versions of them that are are
put forward in this show, because you know, part of
the the source material is kind of like the historical
record of these people, but also it's it's, uh, these
are are playful versions of of.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
The real human being.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
So you know, we kind of lean on a couple
by graphical elements and combine that with the musical styles
and it's it's a lot of fun to be able
to play with Jared night and night Out and kind
of be this villainous duo tag team.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Yeah, it's awesome Kai Toumani Hkosi and Jared Hailton joining us.
So we'll go back to Jared here. Similar question Thomas Jefferson.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
He's got quite a history.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
He wrote the Declaration of in the of Independence, and
he does kind of emerge in the second act as
a major rival of our hero Alexander Hamilton. The original production,
I mean that the kind of like the gimpie walk
and that just the attitude and then the rap battle
kind of debates, but you kind of add your own
(05:43):
flavor to what you know Thomas Jefferson is in this play.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So do you have like a vision for that? Is
there a direction to that?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Because you're so you know, demonstrative with your emotions on
the stage, and it makes it every time that you're
on the stage, it's just really really funny to watch
what you're up to. So how did you kind of
interpret what Thomas Jefferson in this play was as written
in the original play by lin Manuel Morana.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
I think some of the cool things that I learned
when I came into Hamilton is how much the creative
team partners with the actors to put them in these
roles and not And first of all, let me just
say David's the goat.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Okay, David is the goat.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
However, I love how the creative team when I came
into Hamilton was just like, you're not doing the v
You're gonna do Jared, you know, as Thomas Jefferson. And
so that permission to bring my own flavor to this
role has been a two year journey and that seven
year journey honestly, because you know, you never stop learning
(06:49):
at Hamilton, and there's so many new things that you
pick up along the way. But yeah, no, just being
able to just take it on and just have different
perspectives that might not have you know, been looked at
you know with the v you know, everybody has that
image of that, but you know, I think you know,
(07:09):
having that permission has just been such a joy to
have with this show and just with the team that
they that we work with.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
On the ground, of.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Course, Hamilton is no it's a fun, kind of playful
look at a history lesson, yeah, you know, and people
who are looking for a complete history of all these folks,
you're never going to get that in two and a
half hours, but it's a really good snapshot of an
important time in American history.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
But the music made the play.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
I mean, the production is all about the music and
the way that it's performed. Like we said, it's rap
battles for the debates, right, and you have different tunes
in the first act is your original characters Lafayette and
Hercules Milligan and then you guys morphin the second act
to the rivals of Hamilton and George Washington. So it
(07:56):
is like before you got on, how familiar were you
with the music? How inspirational was that music for you
wanting to be a part of this program.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
It's like you just said, it's the music that made
the show, and the music was what was released before
you know it was on Broadway. At least, you know,
from my perspective, I was in New York when the
show first boomed out, and you know, when it was
at the Public, they released you know, the cast album,
and so everybody in my circles all over New York
was just blasting the album in their New York apartments,
(08:28):
and I knew. I was very familiar with the music
before even seeing the show, So it was just completely
a different it was, that's what it is, different, Like
you know with Broadway musicals, that's just not necessarily what
you would think to hear. And not only that, but
I think that it wasn't given permission to be, you know,
(08:50):
allow the spaces for hip hop to be on Broadway
and be a part of Broadway wasn't. It was kind
of hard for it to be present there and have
permission to be able to create a little bit. And
so it was exciting that that sound was a part
of the Broadway community.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Now.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
It was exciting that it was complicated, and it was
exciting that we were like, what is this show like
because we couldn't see it, so we can only imagine,
and then finally seeing it live was just even better
to combine the music and what it was visually. But like, yeah,
the music was just so inspirational and just so powerful,
just because like not being able to see it, the
(09:29):
music just was so much detail and just so dense
and just so fun and everything, and so yeah, no,
I just was so inspired by that and it just
really touched me.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
So kay, I just kind of piggybacking on that. You know,
you're new to the cast, you've had you know, has
it already been a decade since this thing kind of
blew up? I mean, like it's kind of crazy to
think how long this thing has been this popular. But
for you, before you got to the cast, was there
a a song or a moment in the show that
(10:02):
really spoke to you? And how does that difference than
the way that you experience some of those moments on
the stage.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
M yeah.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
I mean, like like Jared was saying, when the when
the score first came out, when this, uh if you
were if you were outside, when when the phenomena of
Hamilton hit in any any kind of theater affiliated space,
you certainly heard it a lot. And uh yeah, I
(10:32):
feel like I remember listening to the to the score
for the first time in the mid twenty tens, after
much in encouragement from from my theater friends.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I I'm.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
Not even as well versed in kind of like the
canon of musical theater as a lot of my colleagues are,
but I have a really really deep love and long
relationship with the musical genres that this musical is based
off of. So I remember listening to the score for
the first time and kind of hearing you know, so
many musical illusions and motifs and references from you know,
(11:14):
this incredible history of of hip hop music, kind of
black popular music over the last two three decades, and
in a form that you know, as Jared is saying this,
this musical provides us this entre for this genre to
to exist in in in this Broadway space. While while
(11:35):
this form has been like the dominant form of like
American popular.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Music over the last two decades.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
And so it's it's it's really cool to be able
to like experience those little easter eggs for for acquainted listeners.
And one of the things is different about being able
to be inside it rather than listening to it for
the first time, is is just the getting to experience
(12:02):
the showmanship, right, like the genre of hip hop began
with you know, these forms of MCing. You know, these
people with a microphone and a turntable trying to like
move the crowd.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
And the lineage.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Of like rap battles.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
H as kind of juxtaposed in this musical with our
history of political discourse, right, politicians trying to tell you
who they are, what they stand for, why who they
oppose doesn't stand for or doesn't doesn't deserve a claim
or celebration or whatever. And I think those two things,
(12:39):
layered on top of each other are are really it's
a it's a it's a dense, uniquely American document, and
it's it's really fun to try and like, you know,
win over a crowd in real time, in in the
form that both these these politicians have, but also these
these musicians have over the course of our history.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
And you know, you speak to.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
Jared has you know, the most incredible Jefferson in the
second half, and and you know, it's it's really uh,
it's it's the definition of you know MC you know,
as certain rappers would say, move the crowd, you know
what I mean, Like he comes out and he moves
the crowd.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I have to see him also, right, And the same
thing with both of you. You guys are so visual
on the stage, even when it's not your turn to speak,
which which is one of the great things about this production.
We're speaking with Jared Hailton, who plays both Lafayette and
Thomas Jefferson, as well as Kai Toumani Chicosi who plays
Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You mentioned the Easter eggs.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
There are constant callbacks to previous songs as the.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
Production goes on.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
It's just like the people call it let Me and
whel Randa genius, but it really is genius. And I
was watching and this is the thing. You could see
this show one hundred times and get something new every
time I was watching. And as George Washington's talking about,
I think it's in right hand Man, there's like Pirates
of Penzance like reference in there that I didn't catch before.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
And I was like, this, this guy is a genius.
Like I couldn't believe it. I sat there, I poked
my wife. It's like that's from fire and and finsants.
What's your favorite song, Kyle.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
We'll start with you, like like a moment whether it's
your song or a song that's just on the soundtrack
that you just you love to listen to.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
What is the favorite too.
Speaker 6 (14:28):
Yeah, I gotta I gotta say, Uh, my favorite song
is is uh is a deep cuz it is Washington
on your Side?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Is this?
Speaker 6 (14:37):
It's also selfish because you know, it's my favorite part
of the show to do. Yeah, maybe just a reflection
of me being in my hater era, but you know,
being a hater is fun, kids, Being a hater is
fun sometimes.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Hey, I want to be on the stage with you
guys when you're hating. I was like, Hey, those guys
are cool.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Yeah, And it's a it's a beautiful opportunity to be
able to, you know, be in in harmony literally and
figuratively with two incredibly talented performers every night, and and
the the small details and nuances both in the vocal
performance and the acting performance make it my favorite part
of the show.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
All right, Jared, what do you think I mean?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
He said it all like that. That is also my
favorite number. Washington on your Side.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
It's just so juicy and I love being in my
hater moment.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
What did Kendrick say about Hayden?
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Yeah, that's that that that vibe and yeah, it's just
a moment in the show where you know, you know,
Jefferson is and Madison are the rival of Hamilton, and
like for all of Act one you see how the word,
how Hamilton uses his words, and how amazing his rap
is compared to anybody else. Like you kind of see
(15:50):
the Sons of Liberty at the top of the tavern
scene where they're kind of doing basic raps, right, they're.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Like boom boom boom.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Very old school nineties rap, and and you got like
this dude that comes in and starts spitting like buster
rhymes and you're like what. But then we come into
the second act and we finally meet a rival that
is you know, equal to him that it's like, well, bro,
I'm the original word guy, Like I have words too,
and and so like we're at this moment in the
(16:20):
show where like Jefferson for the first.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Time is like who is this dude?
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Like we got to get him out of here, right,
And I just really love that vibe that we bring
in that number of like how do we get this
dude out of here?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
And I hate him. I hate the way he.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Walks, I hate the way he talks, I hate the
way he dresses. But yeah, that is definitely one of
my favorite numbers to do with two amazing performers and JJ.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
And yeah, and JJ plays Aaron Burr and he does
a great job as well. But it's just funny that
you mentioned both acts because you are playing those roles
also in Act one, which is also fun I wish
I could sit here for hours and talk to you.
I know that you have a lot of other things
going on on the show is incredible. I know that
people who might be familiar with you know, Lynn Manuel
(17:05):
and Leslie Odom Junior and the original cast. You know,
like you said, this cast is doing interpretations of it
and it's a completely fresh take. It really feels like
a completely new show. There's a lot of energy in
the place that you guys bring different aspects to the
characters that you play, and it's super enjoyable. And it's
at the Orphium all the way through next weekend here
(17:27):
in Omaha. If you haven't seen Hamilton, you have to
see Hamilton, and these guys do such a great job.
If you can get a hold of a ticket a
ticket Omaha dot com be sure to do that and
I couldn't recommend this company in this production. More so
Jared Hallilton. You'll see him playing Lafayette and Jefferson. Big thanks, Ben,
really appreciate you coming in.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Thanks for having us. I love Omaha, y'all. It's a
beautiful day today.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Yeah, you've picked a great time to be here. And
then Kai tou Mani Chakosi playing Hercules Mulligan and James Madison.
Thank you will also, Sirve for being in here and
enjoy your time in Omaha.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Much appreciate it. Man only well
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