I went to Hamilton and got the standby cast – Phil Brown

Known for sometimes hating acclaimed productions loved by most, Phil Brown was expecting the worst when he got the double whammy of global smash Hamilton performed by understudies. Here’s his verdict.

Some people freak out when they go to a show and get the understudy instead of the star.

There’s a hilarious episode of Seinfeld in which Elaine gets her Korean nail bar ladies tickets to see a production starring Bette Midler.

But Bette has been injured and can’t do the show. When it is announced that her understudy will be doing it the nail bar ladies (who are pretty vicious) boo and hiss and carry on terribly.

I went to see the hit musical Hamilton at the Sydney Lyric Theatre recently - it was a Sunday evening - and there were “standby” performers in the lead roles but let me tell you it was just fine.

Callan Purcell the understudy for Hamilton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Instead of Jason Arrow playing Alexander Hamilton it was Callan Purcell and he was terrific. And Hamilton’s nemesis, Aaron Burr, normally played by Lyndon Watts, was played by Jimmie “J.J” Jeter and he was also great.

Obviously the Australian cast of this American musical is as strong as it is diverse.

I think you could say pretty well everyone is a star.

Now some people will be surprised to hear me say this because I expressed some reservations about Hamilton before seeing it.

Hamilton Australia cast Jason Arrow, Chloe Zuel and Lyndon Watts. Picture: Nic Walker.

Everyone was raving about it so much and that’s often a sign I may not like it.

That happened with The Book of Mormon which I loathed although many people had told me it was fabulous. I begged to differ, as I sometimes do. There’s a reason I am referred to by some as Grumpy Cat.

So would I see Hamilton, hate it and become some sort of pariah? Well, the answer is no because - here’s the thing - I really enjoyed it!

And I didn’t mind at all to have the stand-bys in the leading roles.

So no booing and hissing from me at all which is a good thing.

Theatre producer Michael Cassel. Picture: James Croucher

This production, presented in Australia by Michael Cassel, is playing in Sydney until the end of the year after which it goes to Melbourne. I did ask when it was coming to Brisbane but apparently there are no firm dates and it could be a couple of years away.

That’s a damn good excuse to go to Sydney (if you need an excuse) or, next year, to Melbourne.

I know a number of banana benders who have already made the trek to the Sydney to see it.

And now that I have seen it I feel like I’m part of some sort of special club.

“Oh yes, I have seen Hamilton,” I can casually drop into conversation from now on. Some folks seem disappointed that I liked it and were maybe looking forward to another of my tirades so my apologies because I liked it. But why did I like it?

Well for a start it’s a good story, a true story and one that I really didn’t know before.

Alexander Hamilton is a lesser known figure in the pantheon of the founders of the USA. We all know about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but we didn’t really know anything about Alexander Hamilton but we do now thanks to the brilliant Lin Manuel Miranda who wrote and starred in the show on Broadway.

Lin-Manuel Miranda in his final performance as "Alexander Hamilton" in Hamilton on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theatre in July 2016, NY. Picture: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

He tells the story brilliantly through hip hop patter which is seamless although it is rapid fire dialogue so you have to focus.

And the idea of a diverse cast works brilliantly. Miranda himself calls this a “story of America then told by America now”.

The Australian cast is equally diverse and it just seems natural in the end, as it should.

And as I sat there, with some trepidation, out came Jimmie “J.J.” Jeter firing off those compelling opening lines ... “How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore / And a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot / In the Caribbean by providence impoverished / In squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”

With lyrics like that Hamilton is my kind of musical.

Originally published as I went to Hamilton and got the standby cast – Phil Brown