Manny Schvartzman (Hamilton Music Director and Conductor) wraps up his episodes with some of the best questions he's ever been asked thanks to the Patreon Peeps. Manny discusses his favorite musical moments from the show, little details we should all look for, how he's still learning things even after performing the show over 1,000 times, and why seeing Hamilton is like going to an amazing restaurant. Plus, his favorite composers, why drummers are the heartbeat of a band, secrets about Hamilton'...
Jun 30, 2025•58 min
Manny Schvartzman (Hamilton Music Director and Conductor) is back for round two as he continues discussing his experience putting up Rent in Cuba with Andy Señor, Jr in 2014. The whiplash of going from the shiny, multimillion dollar On Your Feet to a space with daily power outages and a lack of running water was an intense, rewarding, and life changing experience. It taught Manny that anything was possible, and theatre could truly be done absolutely anywhere. If he could do that, he could do any...
Jun 23, 2025•54 min
I hope you're ready for a deep dive on Team Music because Manny Schvartzman is here! Manny is the music director, conductor, and keyboard one player on Hamilton's Angelica Tour. In his first episode, Manny walks us through the early stages of his career, which started at around eight years old, when he started teaching himself to play piano and read music with the goal of being a classical pianist. By the time he was a freshman in high school, the word was out in Miami about kid from Buenos Aire...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Robbie Rozelle wraps up his episodes with the moment we've all been waiting for: Stephen Sondheim stories!! Robbie talks about extensively working so closely with the legend he calls a "deity" and why you always, always (always!) sing what Sondheim wrote on the page. Robbie also takes us through creating his cabaret shows and explains why it's all about storytelling. Celebrities? Boring. What do YOU have to say? Let's find out what that is and then find ways to lift people up and make good art w...
Jun 09, 2025•47 min
Robbie Rozelle is back for round two and I think it's safe to say that we are officially off the rails. After passing up lottery tickets to Hamilton at the Public in 2015, Robbie eventually saw it in previews and promptly had an out of body experience, prompting a StubHub debacle the very next day (remember those days?!). Robbie was the creative director of Playbill at the start and eventual astronomical height of Hamilton, so we take a look back on some of the insane fervor of that time and why...
Jun 02, 2025•51 min
Robbie Rozelle is a beloved cabaret artist, director, producer, housewives aficionado, and my friend. He identifies as a Charles Nelson Reilly with a Paul Lynde Rising. And guess what?! We're going back to basics! Robbie joins me in person, in my living room, and we talk about his Hamilton experience as well as pretty much everything else. As a kid, Robbie fell in love with classic movie musicals (The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Annie (1982 ONLY), Bye Bye Birdie, Damn Yankees) and became t...
May 26, 2025•58 min
Vanessa Magula wraps up her episodes by taking questions from the Patreon Peeps! This week, she talks about her connection to all three Schuyler sisters including having such a soft spot for Eliza and why performing Satisfied is like playing Hamlet. From owning the room as Angelica, to accessing love through Eliza, and slayingggg that red dress as Maria, Vanessa absolutely LOVES being a standby. Vanessa also talks about her amazing husband Andrew, her newfound love of handbags and their trends, ...
May 19, 2025•51 min
In her second episode, Vanessa Magula talks about what it was like to join the Philip tour as a Hamilton superfan, including learning harmonies she didn't know existed and doing her best *not* to sing Burr's part in Non-Stop. But now she's in Hamilton and as a friend told Vanessa: time to dream a new dream. She booked her dream job, and now she's gotta figure out how to live it in a healthy and fulfilling way. From imposter syndrome, to having to learn the show, to giving herself grace, and the ...
May 12, 2025•51 min
Vanessa Magula went from being a Hamilton superfan studying pre-health at UCLA to being cast as the standby for all three Schuyler sisters on the Philip tour. No, for real. Vanessa has always been a self-described theatre kid, evidenced by the fact that Deaf West's Spring Awakening is what inspired her to minor in Disability Studies, but it took her a while to take the leap and be a full time performer. After going to an open call for Hamilton in 2016 and being given a literal golden ticket for ...
May 05, 2025•55 min
In their third episode, Paul Louis Lessard reflects on their one year anniversary playing King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour. Booking the show was a surreal experience, but Paul is having the time of his life and has never felt more beautiful than when he's wearing those *perfectly tailored* KG3 costumes. Paul also opens up about the unnecessary shame around vocal injuries and explains that has "vocal athletes", acknowledging issues and taking care of your voice is all part of the gig. Pl...
Apr 28, 2025•39 min
Paul Louis Lessard currently plays King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour and this week they tell us about how playing King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar helped them get there. Paul was admittedly one of those people who had an "aversion" to Hamilton back in the 2016 era, but eventually he was listening to (and falling in love with) select songs like "Take a Break" and "Wait For It." But it was "You'll Be Back" that led him to write a Facebook post way back in 2016 letting the world know th...
Apr 21, 2025•40 min
Paul Louis Lessard (he/they) is currently King George III on Hamilton's Philip Tour and this week is all about authenticity. Starting from a very young age, Paul describes the allure of performing as a siren song that was calling to them, even down to the intoxicating smell and feel of the show programs he'd pore over on the way home. Remember that smell?? And the feeling of staying up late on a school night going to a show?! The best. Early in their career, Paul talks about how they truly felt ...
Apr 14, 2025•45 min
As I wrap up with Jennifer Geller, she talks about starting and managing a thriving business while *also* performing in Hamilton on Broadway. Plus, her love of croissants, that badass jump rope number from Legally Blonde that's still in her muscle memory, and why we need to stop gatekeeping absolutely everything. It's really not that serious, you guys. Animal Lighthouse Rescue El Faro PR Jennifer on Instagram J.E.T Fitness Training /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on Twitter The Hamilcast on ...
Apr 07, 2025•49 min
In Jennifer Geller's second episode, she talks about how heartbroken she was not to book Hamilton Chicago after being personally invited to audition by Andy Blankenbuehler. But when she eventually booked Hamilton's first national tour, Andy reminded her it was all about trusting the process. Easier said than done, but a good lesson nonetheless. Jennifer also goes in on how the the ensemble is an extension of Burr's mind, especially during "The Room Where it Happens" (it's fascinating, you have t...
Mar 31, 2025•54 min
Jennifer Geller has been in the ensemble of Hamilton since 2017 on the first national tour and she is currently on Broadway. In her first episode Jennifer talks about her fantastic experience with Bring It On and how amazing it was to tour North America and Japan doing a show she loves so much. Bring It On would eventually lead to an invitation to audition for Hamilton, but we have a lot of ground to cover before we get there including rescue dogs, deviated septums, physical therapists, and why ...
Mar 24, 2025•56 min
Shonica Gooden (Hamilton Broadway's Woman 4) first joined Hamilton in December of 2015, just in time for the full on Hamilton madness with the original cast, including that legendary trip to the White House. Shonica reflects on over ten years of Hamilton, explaining how her life experiences (being a mother, experiencing a pandemic, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement) have changed her approach to the show. But guess what? She still looooooves it. She loves and respects all the time it to...
Mar 17, 2025•58 min
Shonica Gooden (Hamilton Broadway's Woman 4) was born and raised in Atlanta, where she focused on what was supposed to be a thriving modern dance career. She had zero interest in musical theatre and didn't see herself as a triple threat. Luckily, her teachers at DanceMakers of Atlanta did see her as a triple threat and strongly encouraged Shonica to audition for Bring It On. This led to callbacks and work sessions with Alex Lacamoire and Andy Blankenbuehler, and it would prove to be the start of...
Mar 10, 2025•52 min
This week wraps up my series with John Devereaux, a standby on Hamilton's Philip Tour covering George Washington, King George III, Mulligan/Madison, and Lafayette/Jefferson. Remember when John told the story about booking Hamilton and almost passing on it? Yeah well that almost didn't even happen because this week you'll hear about how John actually did pass on the first audition! Yep, he just wasn't that into Hamilton. But then he heard Wait For It and couldn't stop crying and decided he absolu...
Mar 03, 2025•40 min
John Devereaux (standby on Hamilton's Philip Tour) is back for round two and this episode is all about authenticity and being as present as possible. For John, he never wants to "lose his elasticity", so a lot of his work as an actor has to do with constantly learning and being curious about himself and the world around him. This week, John shares stories about what he describes as "being tested" in auditions (...or was it just racism? You be the judge) and discusses his fantastic experience on ...
Feb 24, 2025•46 min
John Devereaux is currently on Hamilton's Philip Tour covering George Washington, King George III, Mulligan/Madison, and Lafayette/Jefferson. He grew up in Houston, Texas, loving sports and wanting to eventually practice medicine. In high school, he did some friends a favor by stepping in as a last minute replacement but this does NOT mean he was a theatre kid, okay?! In fact, he went out of his way to make sure his bio in the program said that acting was just a hobby and he was *really* an athl...
Feb 17, 2025•47 min
In her third and final episode, Sabrina Imamura ties up how she landed on the Hamilton's Philip Tour after starting with the original Angelica Tour in 2017 and making stops on Broadway (twice), the Eliza Tour (the Los Angeles sit down), and the And Peggy Tour (which kicked off in Puerto Rico). Sabrina explains the importance of gigs that feed you creatively and why doing a show for the sake of it isn't really what she's about. You know what she *is* about, though? More stories about Asian people...
Feb 10, 2025•42 min
Sabrina Imamura is back for round two and she's very candidly talking about her experience with anxiety, including having daily panic attacks on stage while performing in Hamilton on Broadway. Sabrina covers it all: what sparked the anxiety, how it attached itself to Hamilton and performing in general, the weight of keeping it all a secret, and how being open about everything led her down a much safer path. The bottom line is that no one has any idea what they're doing and we're all just trying ...
Feb 03, 2025•48 min
Sabrina Imamura has been a swing with Hamilton since 2017 starting with the original Angelica Tour and including stops on Broadway (twice), the Eliza Tour (the Los Angeles sit down), the And Peggy Tour (which kicked off in Puerto Rico), and is currently on the Philip Tour. Sabrina started dancing and playing piano at three years old, with ballet being her first love and main focus. After a lot of success in the world of contemporary ballet and concert dancing, she graduated from the University o...
Jan 27, 2025•46 min
Today I'm wrapping up with Terrance Martin, the dance captain and a swing currently on Hamilton's Philip Tour (and previously all over the world). This week, Terrance talks about his international experiences with Hamilton, including how exciting it was building up that tour with alums from every production of Hamilton worldwide. He also walks us through the role of a Dance Captain and how the way he focuses on the intentions of each character really informs the way he communicates. He has to kn...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Terrance Martin is back for round two and while everyone loves feeling seen, is there anything better than seeing your friend absolutely killing it at something they love and you get to hype them up and tell everyone how amazing they are? The answer is no. Terrance's journey to traveling the world as a Hamilton Swing and Dance Captain spans six years and in hearing him talk about his experiences and his friendships surrounding this show, you can tell that the invisible string theory is hard at w...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Terrance Martin is a multi-faceted performer and activist, a founding member of the Black Artists Dance Collective, and one of the best conversationalists on the planet. Terrance is currently the dance captain and a swing on the Philip Tour, and previously has been all over the world with Hamilton. It took him six years of auditioning to get there but that's actually great because he got a ton of experience performing in other great shows during that time. We talk a lot about redefining success,...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min
Note: This is the last episode of 2024! I wish you a safe, fun, happy, and healthy holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year. The Hamilcast will be back the first week of January 2025 to kick off the ninth (!!!!!!) year of the podcast. Nicole deRoux is currently a swing on Hamilton's Philip tour, a role she recently transitioned into after performing as The Bullet for five years (that's over 50 cities and 1,500 performances). This week, Nicole is taking questions from the Patreon Peep...
Dec 16, 2024•38 min
Note: This episode was recorded in September of 2024. Nicole deRoux performed as The Bullet for five years (that's over 50 cities and 1,500 performances) before recently shifting gears and becoming a swing on the Philip Tour. This week, Nicole talks about her long-term activism and using her platform to speak out and do good work. Additionally, she talks about her incredible mother, who *also* balances the cerebral with the creative: she is a radiologist *and* an artist. Plus, Nicole explains wh...
Dec 09, 2024•39 min
Nicole deRoux is here for three episodes to wrap up 2024! Nicole played Woman 3 aka The Bullet on Hamilton's Philip Tour for five years and most recently became a swing, which she absolutely loves. Born and raised in New Jersey, Nicole has always had a balance between being academic and being creative; she grew up as a competition dancer, went to Drexel University on a dance scholarship, and graduated with a degree in marketing and retail merchandising. Hamilton was Nicole's first official gig r...
Dec 02, 2024•44 min
Jisel Soleil Ayon (Hamilton's Philip Tour) is back for round two of our engaging and candid chat. This week, Jisel dives deeper into race and identity talking about her podcast Mixed in the Arts and opening up about her hair journey, where she learned to stop running towards whiteness (as she says) and to really see the beauty within herself. Jisel also talks about bringing herself to the Schuyler Sisters, being a scare actor on a ship, curating her Spotify based on mood as opposed to artists, h...
Nov 25, 2024•49 min
