Jisel Soleil Ayon (Hamilton's Philip Tour) is here for two fun, authentic, and very honest episodes. Jisel grew up watching old musicals and performing as a kid but then she hit college where they do the ridiculous thing of making teenagers pick a major?! Insanity! While Jisel loved performing, she also wanted a job where she could make a living, so she took her passion for American Sign Language and studied speech pathology and speech therapy. During her second semester, she was cast as Daniela...
Nov 18, 2024•46 min
Eddie Ortega (Hercules Mulligan and James Madison on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is back for round two and this week Eddie talks connecting to his roots in the Dominican Republic, recounts his awesome time in Chicago (singing at the National Anthem and going to restaurants in The Bear), and we do a deep dive into our astrological charts. Plus, Eddie takes questions from the Patreon Peeps including his fellow cast member Lucas Babcock, who asks him to breakdown his process for "We Know." Eddie on Ins...
Nov 11, 2024•56 min
Eddie Ortega (Hercules Mulligan and James Madison on Hamilton’s Philip Tour) is here to tell you what can happen if you work hard, *really* love what you do, and stay focused. In his first episode, Eddie talks about growing up in Florida and discovering his love of theater as a teenager. After being rejected from Florida State University, he did everything he could to get accepted and start building his career. From making his Dominican-born parents proud with his award-winning performance in Us...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Lucas Babcock (John Laurens and Philip Hamilton on Hamilton's Philip tour) is back to talk about how booking Hamilton right out of school "was like jumping on a moving train." This week, Lucas dives into his favorite Hamilton moments and takes questions from the Patreon Peeps where he talks about his favorite hidden gems from his time traveling the world and why he absolutely loves going to Ren Faires. /// Lucas on Instagram Lucas's Website Elizabeth Babcock: Lucas's mother, founding director of...
Oct 28, 2024•37 min
Lucas Babcock plays John Laurens and Philip Hamilton on Hamilton's Philip tour and in his first episode he talks about growing up playing sports, his strong interest in sociology and political science, and navigating the musical theatre world as the new kid who knew more about baseball than Sondheim. While Lucas auditioned for Hamilton (the first musical he'd ever listened to, by the way), he was able to see the world as a cruise performer and felt seen doing a production of Next to Normal that ...
Oct 21, 2024•42 min
As I wrap up with Meghan Faddis (Hamilton Chicago and touring companies) you're getting some hot takes on beloved musicals, you'll learn about how she almost ended up a professional soccer player, there's lots of love for her dog Spencer, and you'll hear the story of how "Expert Hula Hooper" ended up on her resume. Plus, Meghan loves and knows the lyrics to a ton of early 2000s hip hop and talks about how inspired she is by the amazing women putting out her new favorite music with super honest l...
Oct 14, 2024•40 min
Meghan Faddis (Hamilton Chicago and touring companies) continues to speak about her experience in the entertainment industry as a whole, especially as a woman: from navigating internalized standards and pressures, to realizing that "No." is a complete sentence, and finally deleting all of those damn exclamation points in emails #IYKYK. And while Meghan doesn't have all the answers, talking about mental health in the theatre world is a super important step towards making the very necessary change...
Oct 07, 2024•51 min
Meghan Faddis spent four years as swing in Hamilton, starting in Chicago and then moving to the touring companies. While she's been dancing professionally since she was six years old, Hamilton was her first time swinging and to say she learned a lot is quite an understatement. Hamilton has her favorite style of dance and she was (and still is) thrilled to be part of the show. This week Meghan talks about the balance of looking at Hamilton's intricate choreography as a puzzle, focusing on both th...
Sep 30, 2024•49 min
Booking Hamilton made Nick Sanchez (Hamilton's Philip Tour) feel kind of crazy (I get it) but being on that stage finally served as a release from the negative voices of the haters that had been haunting him since college. This week, he talks about his Hamilton experience and why it changed the trajectory of what he felt he was capable of doing. The beauty of Nick's story is that it proves that as cheesy as it sounds, you really can do whatever you want to do in your life and you don't have to b...
Sep 23, 2024•46 min•Ep. 436
This week, Nick Sanchez (Hamilton's Philip Company) talks about how Hamilton has reached the point that superfans of the show are auditioning for and booking it, which is what happened to him with Rent. From Rent, Nick joined Tarzan on Broadway and then went on tour with Mary Poppins (and we can't forget his time with But I'm a Cheerleader and Altar Boyz). At 30 years old, Nick decided he'd reached the top of his career and left show business. After flirting with the idea of being on Masterchef ...
Sep 16, 2024•48 min•Ep. 435
Nick Sanchez has been Man 5 on Hamilton's Philip Tour for almost six years. When not performing as Man 5 he also covers Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, John Laurens/Philip Hamilton, Charles Lee, James Reynolds, and more. Almost on a whim, Nick auditioned for Rent on Broadway at 15-years-old. Amazingly, that led to a series of auditions and callbacks that would culminate in Nick making his Broadway debut in Rent in 2004. Since then, Nick has had a full career swinging a...
Sep 09, 2024•45 min•Ep. 434
As we wrap up our chat, Cherry Torres (currently Hamilton on Broadway, previously the Angelica Tour) drops the curly hair routine, tells me about her passion for teaching, explains why she loves Eliza's "Lord of the Rings" robe so much, and she's taking questions from the Patreon Peeps (many of whom have seen her in the show)! Plus, Cherry talks about the unforgettable experience starring in Evita in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was able to perform in a place that means so much to her with her fri...
Sep 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 433
Cherry Torres (currently Hamilton on Broadway, previously the Angelica Tour) is back for round two! After four years traveling the world on cruise ships, Cherry was ready to plant her roots and move her career to dry land. Rock of Ages led to Cherry's Hamilton process, which continued as she performed her dream role of Nina in In the Heights and booking a gig for Disney. From auditioning for Hamilton Puerto Rico to eventually going on tour with the show, Cherry explains how her life led her to a...
Aug 26, 2024•39 min•Ep. 432
Cherry Torres is currently an ensemble member in the Broadway production of Hamilton covering all three Schuyler Sisters, and was previously on the Angelica Tour. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cherry discovered her love of performing when she moved to Florida at 12 years old. From there, she went to the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston and then traveled the world performing on cruise ships. We talk about all of that in this episode but we also take a few detours to discuss Nick...
Aug 19, 2024•47 min•Ep. 431
Welcome back to another episode of the neurospicy hour, my friends! Jordan Frazier (Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton's West End production) is back to infuse equal parts energy and love into your podcast feed. This week, Jordan talks about sailing off to London and navigating auditions, her visa situation, and the eventual COVID lockdown. She will eventually find an apartment she loves (hello Brixton!) and start her Hamilton adventure, where she was originally Woman 5 (covering Angelica, Eliza, and...
Aug 12, 2024•47 min•Ep. 430
Hailing from North Carolina, Jordan Frazier is currently Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton's West End company. Jordan always knew she was an artist and a creator and grew up leaning into all kinds of interests as they presented themselves to her: music production, acting, dancing, songwriting, filmmaking, etc. In this episode, Jordan describes her frustrating experience at college, including her journey as a Black woman in the entertainment industry and her distinct ability to fit a mold... and then...
Aug 05, 2024•49 min•Ep. 429
Alexis Hasbrouck (a swing on the North American tour of Hamilton) is back for round two! This week Alexis talks about joining Hamilton's well established tour which was equal parts incredible and terrifying, and explains how her brain processes all the details a swing needs to know. You'll also hear about the once in a lifetime trip she and some casemates took to Alaska where they saw all kinds of wildlife, kayaked by a glacier in a torrential downpour, and most importantly THEY WENT DOGSLEDDING...
Jul 29, 2024•41 min•Ep. 428
Alexis Hasbrouck is currently a swing on the North American tour of Hamilton and my guest for the next two episodes! Alexis has been dancing since she was three years old, studying absolutely everything: ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pointe, musical theatre dance, contemporary, lyrical, you name it. This week, Alexis talks about the musical theatre program at Rider University (which she loved!) and taking a year off to do Cats on the Royal Caribbean Oasis cruise ship. By the time Alexis was ready ...
Jul 22, 2024•44 min•Ep. 427
Today I’m wrapping up with the Philip Tour’s Alex Nicholson. Alex covers 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 the show even gave him his first professional credit in his home country of Canada. This week, Alex talks about the full experience of being on tour with Hamilton including going from the And Peggy tour to joining the Philip Tour, sp...
Jul 15, 2024•34 min•Ep. 426
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 i...
Jul 08, 2024•38 min•Ep. 425
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 ...
Jul 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 424
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 Ti...
Jun 24, 2024•35 min•Ep. 423
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 h...
Jun 17, 2024•31 min•Ep. 422
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 Hamilc...
Jun 10, 2024•37 min•Ep. 421
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...
Jun 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 420
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 lea...
May 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 419
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 Instag...
May 20, 2024•39 min•Ep. 418
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. Bil...
May 13, 2024•43 min
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 B...
May 06, 2024•49 min•Ep. 416
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...
Apr 29, 2024•48 min•Ep. 415
