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When Canberra’s Kirrah Amosa talks about being a part of the Australian production of Hamilton, it’s the musical’s lyrics that come to mind. In one of the show’s opening songs, lead character Alexander Hamilton sings “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement.” It’s those words that Amosa kept coming back to when describing the significance of being part of the production. “It’s not just a show. It’s a movement in more cities than just Sydney. It’s a much bigger picture thing,” she said. Since it debuted off-Broadway in 2015, Hamilton has become a revolutionary moment in theatre, with critics hailing it as a reinvention of the musical. And the force behind it, Lin-Manuel Miranda – who wrote the script, music and lyrics and played the original Alexander Hamilton – has become an international household name. Using a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway music, the musical tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and has collected a list of awards including 11 Tonys, a Grammy and a Pulitzer. Along with its Broadway run, it has had runs in Chicago and London, as well as multiple United States tours and a film version that has proved to be a success for Disney+. This month the cultural phenomenon is finally hitting Australia, with the curtains opening for the preview shows at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on March 17. READ MORE: But only time will tell whether Amosa will be there performing, as the Canberran has been cast as standby for not one but three of the musical’s leading ladies. This means she has to learn roles for Eliza Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler and Peggy/Maria and be ready to go on stage at a moment’s notice. And Amosa wouldn’t change it for the world. She, like with many other people, was already in love with Hamilton long before it reached Australian shores. So much so, the performer almost burst into tears in a Canberra car park when she got the call from her agent telling her she got the part. Amosa has since moved to Sydney and has been spending six days a week, every week since rehearsals began in January, shadowing fellow actors Chloe Zuel, Akina Edmonds and Elandrah Eramiha. “I’ve just been following the girls around like a bad smell. I’m just listening to every conversation and writing everything down,” she said. “But another great thing about this show is the consistent reminder to stay true to yourself. So I’m trying to make sure that I don’t take in too much of what the girls are doing because I know that my interpretation might be different, and I’m trying to pay respect to that process as well. “It’s a lot more brainpower than I thought it was going to be. But I think it is quite helpful that all of the characters are so different, so I can tap into a completely different side of myself each time.” Like the original, the Australian production has a diverse cast – something which has been upheld as the musical’s shining light by director Thomas Kail. Along with Amosa, who is of Samoan heritage, the cast includes Indigenous, Maori, Filipino, Jamaican, South African, Nigerian, Egyptian, Japanese and Italian actors. “It’s casting choices – that’s something that’s going to go down in history,” Amosa said. “We do come from such diverse backgrounds, culturally and experience. I love that there are so many fresh faces and because of that, there’s not a lot of ego in the room because everyone’s very understanding that we all worked hard to be there. And being in Hamilton is not an opportunity that was given out lightly. “With so many faces of colour on stage, it makes me feel quite at home in front of a few thousand strangers. The whole movement is very grounding.” Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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When Canberra’s Kirrah Amosa talks about being a part of the Australian production of Hamilton, it’s the musical’s lyrics that come to mind.
In one of the show’s opening songs, lead character Alexander Hamilton sings “It’s not a moment, it’s a movement.” It’s those words that Amosa kept coming back to when describing the significance of being part of the production.
“It’s not just a show. It’s a movement in more cities than just Sydney. It’s a much bigger picture thing,” she said.
Since it debuted off-Broadway in 2015, Hamilton has become a revolutionary moment in theatre, with critics hailing it as a reinvention of the musical. And the force behind it, Lin-Manuel Miranda – who wrote the script, music and lyrics and played the original Alexander Hamilton – has become an international household name.
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Picture: Joan Marcus
Using a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway music, the musical tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and has collected a list of awards including 11 Tonys, a Grammy and a Pulitzer.
Along with its Broadway run, it has had runs in Chicago and London, as well as multiple United States tours and a film version that has proved to be a success for Disney+.
This month the cultural phenomenon is finally hitting Australia, with the curtains opening for the preview shows at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on March 17.
But only time will tell whether Amosa will be there performing, as the Canberran has been cast as standby for not one but three of the musical’s leading ladies. This means she has to learn roles for Eliza Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler and Peggy/Maria and be ready to go on stage at a moment’s notice.
And Amosa wouldn’t change it for the world.
She, like with many other people, was already in love with Hamilton long before it reached Australian shores. So much so, the performer almost burst into tears in a Canberra car park when she got the call from her agent telling her she got the part.
Amosa has since moved to Sydney and has been spending six days a week, every week since rehearsals began in January, shadowing fellow actors Chloe Zuel, Akina Edmonds and Elandrah Eramiha.
“I’ve just been following the girls around like a bad smell. I’m just listening to every conversation and writing everything down,” she said.
“But another great thing about this show is the consistent reminder to stay true to yourself. So I’m trying to make sure that I don’t take in too much of what the girls are doing because I know that my interpretation might be different, and I’m trying to pay respect to that process as well.
“It’s a lot more brainpower than I thought it was going to be. But I think it is quite helpful that all of the characters are so different, so I can tap into a completely different side of myself each time.”
Like the original, the Australian production has a diverse cast – something which has been upheld as the musical’s shining light by director Thomas Kail.
Jason Arrow (centre) as Alexander Hamilton and the essemble during rehearsals for the Australian production of Hamilton. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams
Along with Amosa, who is of Samoan heritage, the cast includes Indigenous, Maori, Filipino, Jamaican, South African, Nigerian, Egyptian, Japanese and Italian actors.
“It’s casting choices – that’s something that’s going to go down in history,” Amosa said.
“We do come from such diverse backgrounds, culturally and experience. I love that there are so many fresh faces and because of that, there’s not a lot of ego in the room because everyone’s very understanding that we all worked hard to be there. And being in Hamilton is not an opportunity that was given out lightly.
“With so many faces of colour on stage, it makes me feel quite at home in front of a few thousand strangers. The whole movement is very grounding.”
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
