Jason Arrow and I spoke in April 2023, right after he ended his run as Alexander Hamilton in Australia. Since recording, the company had a very limited run in New Zealand, and as of September 2023, Jason will be in Manila in the Philippines performing in the Asian premiere of Hamilton.
Here's one of the many interesting thing about Jason: for a guy who first connected with Burr, he has a lot of Hamilton traits. Jason started doing theatre as a teenager, mostly just a hobby at first. He was doing community shows while studying computer science, graphic design, and film/tv theory. He realized very quickly that he belonged *in front* of the camera.
Jason went to the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and that's where he learned about this show called Hamilton. It sounded really incredible but he was very busy and didn't have the time to commit to falling in love with such a layered piece while still in school. And then 2020 came around and changed everything.
Tamar Greene (Hamilton Broadway's George Washington) is a classical trained pianist, an opera singer, a voice teacher, a founding member of Ham4Progress, and a guy who appreciates the revitalization that comes with embracing the unexpected. That's what his three episodes have been all about. Tamar started his career in music literally hiding behind a piano because it was easier on his stage fright. For years, he resisted accepting his vocal talent. So, he got a bachelor's degree in computer information systems but the music stuff was still nagging at him. On his way to class, he'd walk the halls of the music department, admiring the beautiful pianos and listening to other vocalists and thinking, "you know maybe I *could* make a living in music."
Tamar embraced everything he was interested in and now he's accepted that he can be passionate about all of it. Being in bands like Bitchin' Kitchen means he learned, as he says "the business of the business." - traveling, booking, splitting the door money with the band, all that stuff. A degree in computer information systems means that he could put on concerts during lockdown without worrying about the tech side of things. So I guess what I'm saying is that Tamar Greene knows what he's talking about and he also walks the walk so you should take what he says to heart.
This week, Tamar talks about performing orchestral versions of South Park Songs, his favorite SNOBs (Saturday Night on Broadway), leading with love, and he unexpectedly walks us through his Washington's mental and emotional arc leading up to One Last Time. Plus, Tamar talks about grappling with the colonizing slave owning history of the founding fathers, the power of a Black man playing George Washington, and how this ties into his role as an original member of Ham4Progress.
Orchestral Versions of South Park Songs
Jonas Kaufmann - Turandot, Atto III: "Nessun Dorma"
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Tamar Greene (Hamilton Broadway's George Washington) talks about checking in with yourself to reassess and possibly change course, which can actually be very rejuvenating. In fact, that's what led him to musical theatre, from auditioning in stairwells to going out on tour and eventually landing on Broadway. Remember the guy who didn't think he could sing or make it professionally as a musician? Seems like a lifetime ago.
And of course, we dive into his long history with Hamilton. He went from knowing nothing about the show and turning down tickets to see it, to winning the lottery and falling in love with it, then passing on a callback after years of auditions, to finally stepping into the role of Washington in Chicago and making the transition to Broadway. So get ready, because this week you're gonna hear about how Tamar made his way to acting on stage, something that has yet to come up in his long list of interests and career choices.
Tamar Greene, Hamilton Broadway's current George Washington, returns to The Hamilcast! Tamar was first on the podcast back in 2019 when I saw Hamilton in Chicago and threw a big party recording with the cast. Those are episodes 181-185 if you're interested. That party was so much fun but it's hard to do a deep dive with someone in those recordings, so it's always nice to be able to sit down one on one and really get into it... and that's exactly what's happening with Tamar because he's been on a JOURNEY. Tamar's mother was a singer and a pianist who ended up retiring as a nurse, and his father was a DJ and promoter focusing on Jamaican artists. He owned a record store and threw parties and events in the community. Growing up, Tamar and his nine siblings all had to learn an instrument. He chose the piano because, as he says, it was easy to hide behind. Throughout Tamar's life, the people around him kept encouraging him to sing but he fought them every step of the way. Even as he was studying for his BA in Computer Information Systems (which he has, by the way), he found himself wandering the halls of the music department... always drawn to this life he didn't know how to live. Is it even possible to do music professionally? What does that look like?
#HamiltonCHI Episodes: Party in Chicago!
Tamar Greene - National Anthem at Chicago Bulls Game
Othmar Schoeck - Rastlose Liebe, Tamar Greene (tenor)
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Cristina is currently Hamilton Broadway's Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor, with over 20 years of experience and a lifetime of good taste in pretty much everything. So far we’ve talked about Hamilton, Shakespeare, temperamental fabrics, favorite silhouettes, clothes as self expression, boundaries of all kinds, backstage logistics, stage door stories, destroying the patriarchy… and we did it all referencing Mad Men, Damn Yankees, Taylor Swift, and 1994’s cult classic Reality Bites. This week, Cristina is breaking down the structure of her work day and gives insight into all the different roles in the wardrobe department: dressers, day workers, accessories, shoes, hats, stitchers, repairs, you name it. You know how we always talk about how gorgeous the costumes are? It takes a lot of work to keep them that stunning! Plus, with more questions from the Patreon Peeps, Cristina talks about her love of Shakespeare, and gives advice on how to make a living doing what you love.