Welcome to the first of three episodes with Daniel Assetta, the original Samuel Seabury (and u/s King George III) in Hamilton’s Australian company.
There’s a good chance you’ve seen Daniel before, either on stage around the world in one of his many roles, or… going viral on TikTok. Does the term "Cotton Eyed Joe Kid" mean anything to you? Daniel has millions of likes and views on his videos of old footage of him dancing as a child. Additionally, Daniel talks about how his lifelong love of performing, starting with putting on shows with his superstar sister Chiara, combined with his unapologetic determination and some of the most supportive family on Earth, led him to where he is today.
REDCHILD (Mulligan/Madison in Germany) dives into his Hamilton story, which is a supremely unique experience. In fact, he still doesn't actually know what a musical theater audition feels like because he never really had one. He’s an MC, a producer, a musician, and not at all an actor… so how did this even happen? He’ll tell you all the details, but getting the gig has led to reflection on intention, representation, and the privilege he feels to be able to share his performance with people, especially young kids. REDCHILD also talks about how hip hop culture changed his life, he shares some of the artists that had a major influence on him, and he’s taking questions from the Patreon Peeps.
It was an honor to sit down with REDCHILD, an MC, musician, producer, and original Mulligan/Madison in Hamilton Germany (just don’t call him an actor). Red’s story starts in Berlin, growing up as a mixed race kid and never feeling accepted. That all changed once he made his way to rural Kansas, USA and lived there for a year as a teenager. REDCHILD went back to Germany inspired to create beats and music and make moves as an MC. He started his own jams, started booking gigs, and learned life lessons about empathy and his artistic process and *living* experiences instead of judging them. And with Red specifically, this all stems from the culture of hip hop because as he says, “rap always got me into the room, somehow.”
DeAundre’ Woods (Alexander Hamilton, the And Peggy Tour) is back for round two talking about Legacy… and not just his incredible vocal group (just wait til you hear them), but what inspires him and his plans for the future. Dre’ also shows us some vocal tricks of the trade he picked up during his opera training, explains why he loves sharing his passion with others through teaching, and we revisit the theory about how doing what you love doesn’t actually mean you “never work a day in your life.” It’s kind of the opposite, but that’s part of the journey!
DeAundre’ Woods, the And Peggy Tour’s Alexander Hamilton, joins me for two episodes! In part one, Dre’ tells me about going from being an opera-trained LSU Alum, to covering Hamilton/Burr/Laurens/Philip/Mulligan/Madison, to playing Hamilton full time. Plus, shared moments with Lin-Manuel Miranda onstage in Puerto Rico, the beauty of the domino effect, and what can happen when others see something in you that you don’t yet see in yourself.