The Show Must Go On
At the beginning of the Broadway musical Hamilton, 19-year old Alexander Hamilton has emigrated from his hometown of Charleston in the Caribbean to New York City. While attending King’s College (what is today Columbia University), he discusses his disillusionment with British rule and his desire to be remembered for greatness alongside other budding revolutionaries: Abolitionist John Laurens, who demands equal rights for all men, and who hopes to one day ride into battle with America’s first all-Black battalion: Hercules Mulligan, a tailor’s apprentice who sees the impend- ing American Revolution as his opportunity to socially advance; the Marquis de Lafayette, who dreams of life beyond the rule of a monarchy in both America and France; and Aaron Burr, who reminds the men to lower their voices because loyalists to the British Crown may be among them. Their frustrations culminate in “My Shot,” a ferocious rap song where the men contemplate their next move.
The challenges in Hamilton appear insurmountable. Defeating Britain, one of the most powerful empires in the world, will be difficult enough—let alone then being able to build a country that can guarantee personal freedom and other liberties. But for Hamilton and the others, this is their shot. If they don’t take it now, the opportunity will be gone. Sings Alexander Hamilton: “We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty.”
It’s a powerful moment in the musical, one that can’t truly be captured just by listening to the Hamilton soundtrack or watching the Hamilton movie on Disney+. Luckily, local audiences will have the ability to experience this moment live firsthand — thanks to Broadway in Hawai‘i, which has been bringing world- class touring shows to Honolulu for more than 25 years.
“There’s something special about seeing shows here,” says Bruce Granath, partner at MagicSpace Entertainment, which operates Broadway in Hawai‘i. “Shows don’t visit Hawai‘i as often as they do other markets, so the audience here always comes with more anticipation and energy than in other cities. That energy is felt by performers, who have been counting the weeks and months until they get to visit Honolulu. The result is always magic.”
Since first bringing Les Misérables to the Blaisdell Concert Hall in 1996, Broadway in Hawai‘i has been responsible for some of the biggest touring Broadway productions that make it to the Islands, including RENT, The Lion King, Wicked, Mamma Mia!, The Book of Mormon and The Phantom of the Opera. “Honolulu sees the exact same productions of touring Broadway musicals that play major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. They travel with everything needed to put the same show on every stage they play. The talented crew for these shows make sure that every sequin on every costume and every detail of every set looks the same in Honolulu and Houston,” says Granath, who explains that shipping and logistics are a unique challenge for shows in Hawai‘i.
From locking down the event space (usually either Blaisdell or Hawai‘i Theatre), to confirming the entire cast and crew, to packing up sets for the roughly 2,500-mile journey across the Pacific, there’s a lot that goes into mounting a Broadway production in Hawai‘i. “The stars have to align,” Granath says. “It was nearly 25 years before we were able to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera back to Honolulu for an encore engagement.”
The process may take years, or decades. But the results are often unforgettable, not only for theatre audiences, but local performers, too. In 2019, Broadway in Hawai‘i launched a Broadway Education Fund by gifting a portion of their ticket sales to 16 performing arts organizations across the state, as well as donating tickets for local students who might not otherwise be able to afford to see a Broadway show.
That year, Broadway in Hawai‘i also brought the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour to Honolulu and helped host a one-on-one masterclass for aspiring local actors and singers with casting directors about how to best prepare for an audition. RENT also held an open casting call; local performers Zare Anguay and Joshua “Baba” Tavares joined the national touring company, as Life Support group leader Paul and genderfluid icon Angel Dumott Schunard, respectively.
“New York producers don’t come to Honolulu to find talent to fill in locally. They come here to find actors who can perform on Broadway,” Granath says. “Disney’s The Lion King and RENT both held auditions here, and both found actors who are now playing lead roles in cities all over North America.”
Last December, Broadway in Hawai‘i announced its 2022 to 2023 season lineup, which includes the Grammy Award-winning jukebox musical Beautiful, based on the life and music of singer-songwriter Carole King; Jersey Boys, about the formation, success, and eventual breakup of the 1960s rock group The Four Seasons (which was originally supposed to run in 2020, but was delayed due to COVID); and an extended engagement of the critically acclaimed Hamilton, a hip-hop historical musical that tells the story of how American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton took his “shot” to earn status during the Revolutionary War and, later, by helping to create the U.S. government. For Hawai‘i audiences, this show represents their shot, too: not only to watch a world-class Broadway performance without requiring a plane ticket to New York, but also as an opportunity to enjoy a live performance in person, after roughly two years of assorted pandemic-related lockdowns and social gathering restrictions.
“The premiere of Hamilton is going to be an event. It is going to be something very, very special for people who have seen it, for everyone who has memorized every word of the show, and especially for those who have no idea what they are about to experience,” Granath says. “I cannot wait for opening night!”
For more info about Broadway in Hawai‘i, or to reserve tickets for the 2022-2023 season, visit broadwayinhawaii.com.