Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Meet Hamilton's happy first lady - and her revolutionary sisters: BAZ BAMINGBOYE reveals who will take the lead roles when the acclaimed musical hits London

 After a tough audition Rachelle Ann Go was told she will play Eliza Schuyler in Hamilton

Rachelle Ann Go has won a revolutionary role — playing the wife of
Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers, in the London production of acclaimed Broadway musical Hamilton.

The actress, who appeared in the recent West End revival of Miss Saigon and played Fantine in Les Miserables, will portray Eliza Schuyler Hamilton: described as a woman of immense warmth.

‘When I listened to the songs, and read about her and how she handled everything, I thought: “I want to be like her — and I want to be in Hamilton!’ Rachelle told me over breakfast in New York.

Following tough auditions in front of director Tommy Kail, producers Jeffrey Seller and Cameron Mackintosh — not to mention Lin-Manuel Miranda, the theatrical polymath who wrote the book (adapting it from Ron Chernow’s biography), music, lyrics and played the title role — Rachelle was told she’d been picked to be in the year’s most anticipated show, which begins previews at the Victoria Palace on November 21.

An initial 150,000 tickets went on sale last week and sold within hours. Another 150,000 will be made available from noon on Monday. As was first revealed here, tickets will be sold in a paperless system to thwart touts.