“Hamilton” was ready for Atlanta in March 2020. Then COVID-19 came gunning, like Aaron Burr with a loaded flintlock.
The musical went down for the count. But this month, with many patrons still skittish about venturing indoors for shows, the Broadway in Atlanta production of “Hamilton” will return to Atlanta.
So what does it feel like to be in front of several thousand people on a stage? With no mask?
“Terrifying!” said Pierre Jean Gonzalez, who plays the rapping, rhyming title character in the new production of the blockbuster musical that opens at the Fox Theatre Aug. 22.
Terror won’t stop Gonzalez from taking his shot.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this,” said the 33-year-old native of the Bronx, who grew up within hailing distance of “Hamilton” author Lin-Manuel Miranda, and who he counts as a friend.
It helps, said Gonzalez, that the producers and the theater are taking significant precautions. “I’m being realistic in everything,” he said. “I’m going to listen to the science, pay attention to the news and stay safe up there.”
Also, said Gonzalez, as far as the performance is concerned, he’s going to kill it. “I’m going to destroy,” he said. “Every moment.”
Credit: Pierre Jean Gonzalez
Credit: Pierre Jean Gonzalez
He will have an audience ready to see the destruction. Though some may hesitate, in the face of the new outbreak of the variant virus, the musical has attracted a fanatical following, and, after the long hiatus, appetites are sharp for great theater.
Audience members must wear masks at the Fox, but the theater is not requiring proof of vaccination. Several other Atlanta venues, including the Alliance Theatre and Symphony Hall, have announced they will require patrons be vaccinated, or show a negative COVID-19 test.
After the social turmoil of 2020, and the widespread protests over the status of Black Americans, the message of “Hamilton” is even more poignant for Gonzalez in 2021. It’s a show that tells the story of the American revolution in the language of hip-hop, and puts African American and Latinx actors in roles as founding fathers and mothers.
“It gives us the opportunity to be in spaces, to be in worlds, that us, as people of color, were never even thought of,” he said. “The fact that we’re in these shows right now created a conversation. Please let’s keep talking about it.”
Part of that conversation includes the effort get more people of color into theater audiences, generally, and more at this show, specifically. To help make that happen, Gonzalez and his colleague, Atlanta native and ensemble member Quiantae Thomas, established what they call the Action Initiative. During this run they will bring between three and five families to the Fox to enjoy the show and a night on the town, gratis.
Credit: Quiantae Thomas
Credit: Quiantae Thomas
In the meantime, while she’s introducing Atlanta to “Hamilton,” Thomas is also introducing “Hamilton” to Atlanta. She recently took a crew of her castmates to the Cascade Skating Rink for a night of local flavor.
“Being that I’m from Atlanta and I’m a proud Black woman, that’s what I do,” said Thomas, 25, who has an Instagram account called @ambitiousquiantae.
A graduate of The School of the Arts at Carver, Thomas studied at Alabama State University, earning a BFA in dance. She intended to become a professional dancer, but a professor convinced her to try out on Broadway, and she booked “Hamilton” shortly after graduating.
She plans to be with the show at least a year. And as soon as she gets her kitchen set up, she plans to have some of her crew over for shrimp and crab-leg boil.
Her family and friends are ecstatic that she is in the show, but when it comes to COVID-19, she’s not playing. “Don’t come around me if you’re not wearing a mask and willing to get tested. I’m here to work, I’m not here to party.”
Along with the challenges of the times, which include the delta variant, this show is challenging, period. The libretto is a firehose of lyrics, cramming an extreme number of words into the mouths of its performers, up to 200 a minute in some songs. (The news website FiveThirtyEight estimates that the movie version of the show expends 20,520 words over the course of two hours and 23 minutes.)
“It’s not just the rapping,” said Gonzalez. While focusing on his performance, Gonzalez must also hit his marks, mind the rotating turntable that spins the stage around, and interact with his colleagues. But rap music is in his blood, said the Bronx native, who grew up where rap started. He can spit those lyrics in his sleep.
“I make sure that the music is in my body. I’m a very physical person. I’m singing it when I’m walking around the house.”
THEATER PREVIEW
“Hamilton”
Aug. 22-Sept. 26. $80 to $399; for some performances there are as few as 12 tickets left; others have many more. Patrons who bought tickets for last years’ performances should have been informed by email when their rescheduled performances will take place. Those with questions should log in to their “Hamilton” account or call the point of purchase. The Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-881-2100, FoxTheatre.org/Hamilton.
The lottery:
Forty tickets for $10 each will be sold by lottery for each performance. Instructions for entering the lottery are below. To enter the lottery you can use the official app for “Hamilton,” http://hamiltonmusical.com/app, or visit http://hamiltonmusical.com/lottery to register. According to the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta website: “The lottery will open at 10 a.m. every Friday and will close for entry at 12 p.m. the next Thursday prior to the following week’s performances. Winner and non-winner notifications will be sent between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. every Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances via email and mobile push notification. Winners will have two hours to claim and pay for their ticket(s). No purchase or payment necessary to enter or participate. Each winning entrant may purchase up to two tickets. Only one entry per person. Repeat entries and disposable email addresses will be discarded. Lottery tickets may be picked up at will call beginning two hours prior to the performance with a valid photo ID. Lottery tickets void if resold.”
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