Asian American actors Joseph Morales, Shoba Narayan, and Marcus Choi are filling leading roles in the second national tour of the hit musical Hamilton.
Morales who is Hawaiian will star as Alexander Hamilton in the hip-hop musical beginning in Seattle on February 6; he currently plays the alternate of Alexander Hamilton in the musical’s Chicago production alongside Asian Americans Ari Asfar and Jin Ha. Morales has previously performed in Bollywood-themed Broadway musical Bombay Dreams and starred in Asian American theatre company East West Players’ production of The Who’s Tommy.
Narayan will be playing Eliza Hamilton, the musical’s leading female role, which was originated by Chinese American actress Phillipa Soo. Naryan recently starred in Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. According to Playbill, Naryan was the first South Asian woman playing a principal role on Broadway in over ten years.
“This is for the women, the immigrants, the minorities that wake up every morning and push to defy the odds, to dream big, and to not throw away their shot,” Narayan wrote in an Instagram post.
Choi will be playing George Washington, a prominent supporting role. The role has never been played by an Asian American man. Choi has previously performed alongside Asian American casts in musicals such as Flower Drum Song, Allegiance, and Miss Saigon.
“I can’t help but feel like it’s a big win for our community,” Choi told Backstage Pass with Lia Chang. “Asian Americans are the most under represented ethnic group in entertainment and I am so grateful to Hamilton for taking the chance and casting Asians in principal roles for this tour.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, tweeted a photo Friday of Choi and castmates Kyle Scatcliffe and Elijah Malcomb, prompting many Asian Americans to reply with words of praise and gratitude.
Lafayette, Washington, Laurens,
the new tour
(Kyle Scatcliffe, Marcus Choi, Elijah Malcomb) pic.twitter.com/EsvfsBQNVB— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) January 26, 2018
First Asian American president. Marcus Choi as ‘Washington’ in Hamilton. The responses from Asian Americans warm my heart. #RepresentationMatters h/t @lsirikul https://t.co/0WT54HSx2E
— Nancy Wang Yuen (@nancywyuen) January 27, 2018
OMG… An Asian American as Washington. I’m crying. This is such a big deal. I’m so excited. You go, Marcus Choi! I need to find a way to see you. #Representationmatters #Hamilton https://t.co/Q3MzrO4dKI
— Laura (@lsirikul) January 26, 2018
The theatre industry has been criticized for providing little representation for Asian American performers. According to The Atlantic, Hamilton intentionally casts people of color in portrayals of white historical figures to reflect the ethnic diversity of present-day America. Filipina actresses Rachelle Ann Go and Eva Noblezada also star in the London production.
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