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Finding a performer to replace a Tony Award-winner on Broadway or on the road is difficult enough, but it gets a little harder when the role demands the ability to rapid-fire the intricate raps penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda for his revolutionary smash hit, HAMILTON.
Fortunately there were two terrific talents available to play the role of self-sacrificing Angelica Schuyler, both of whom gave star turns when Miranda first hit Broadway in 2008 with IN THE HEIGHTS.
Mandy Gonzalez returns to Broadway when she takes over for the dynamic Renée Elise Goldsberry on a date to be announced. Meanwhile, Tony-winner Karen Olivo will play the role when HAMILTON opens its highly-anticipated Chicago engagement.
The pair took a break from rehearsing in New York to livestream a Facebook Q&A session with fans, talking about their careers and their excitement at taking on such a great challenge.
HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now.
The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.
The Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording - recipient of the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album and a regular on numerous Billboard top 10 lists - is available everywhere nationwide.
HAMILTON: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter's book about the making of the musical, is on sale and has been a selection on The New York Times Best Seller List.
The musical celebrates its 1st anniversary on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on August 6. A touring production begins a 21-week run in San Francisco in March 2017, followed by a 21-week engagement in Los Angeles. A London production will be mounted, also in 2017.
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