Broadway: Two ‘Hamilton’ Leads Change Roles Mid-Show

At the December 19 performance of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, two actors changed lead roles in the middle of the show. Ah, live theater! From Playbill:

The performance started with Alexander Hamilton standby Marc delaCruz on in the Tony-winning musical’s title role. Kyle Scatliffe was in his regular role as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.

By intermission, Scatliffe was forced to go home due to sickness. And who happened to be the only person in the building left who’s rehearsed to cover Lafayette and Jefferson? Marc delaCruz.

Luckily, there was one other person at the Richard Rodgers who was rehearsed to play Alexander Hamilton: ensemble member Alexander Ferguson.

And that meant for Act Two, delaCruz became Jefferson and Ferguson became Hamilton, with swing Adam Ali-Perez taking over in Ferguson’s ensemble track.

Here’s cast member Jennifer Geller giving you a play-by-play as it happened backstage. As she notes, it’s not just actors switching around – hair and wardrobe have to be juggled as well since each actor has their own set for each character. https://www.tiktok.com/@itsjennifergeller/video/7314488804214066475 As longtime readers of The Randy Report know, I spent most of my life performing on Broadway and in national touring companies. Often, I was either an understudy to a lead role or a swing (understudy for the chorus members). It’s a super-tough job being expected to go on at any minute and be as good as the regular actor in the role. But I loved those gigs. They require you to be totally on point. Especially as a swing – relax one second, and you’re suddenly on the wrong side of the stage doing the wrong part.

“It’s an adventure, Barnaby!”

There were times I was sitting in the dressing room, reading USA Today, and in the middle of the show, over the monitor came the message, “Randy – you’re on!” All part of the gig. And yes, there were those special occasions when I’d have to go on for two roles at one time, covering whatever speaking roles and featured dance moments they may have had. You just go out, kick-ball-change, and make the magic happen. A little prayer every now and then didn’t hurt, either. So, the next time you’re at a theater and an understudy is announced, cheer for the actor. Often times, they keep the whole production running.