Wayne Brady on His New HAMILTON Role: 'I Auditioned Like Anyone Else'

As BroadwayWorld reported earlier this week, five-time Emmy Award winner and Grammy nominee Wayne Brady will join the Chicago company of Hamilton as Aaron Burr for a limited engagement Tuesday, January 17 thru Sunday, April 9 at The PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago.

Since the news broke, Brady chatted with the Chicago Tribune about joining the company. "I don't think of myself as an unusual choice but a well-qualified choice who happens to be known. This is not stunt casting. 'Hamilton' does not need stunt casting. You and I both know that the show was rolling along fine with people who are just good at their jobs," explained Brady

He continued: "I auditioned like anyone else. I really wanted this role. I've wanted to do it ever since I saw Leslie (Odom Jr.) do it. I am unusual only in that I am the performer-singer-dancer-actor-dancer you need to do this role. I've got to kick a--. This is a great piece of American art, especially in this day and age. It is important. I just want to be part of the cast. This already has been a life-changing experience for me, and I've not even gone on yet."

Click here to read the full interview.

After getting his big break on first the British, then the ABC version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," Brady's name became synonymous with off-the-cuff brilliance. He went on to star and produce both a highly rated summer sketch show and Emmy winning talk show for ABC and then joined forces with Dave Chappell creating the now classic "Training Day" sketch, showing audiences both sides of his comedic skill and depth as an actor.

Brady returned to his theatrical roots with a successful Broadway debut as Billy Flynn in Chicago, and a slew of television roles guest starring on "30 Rock," "Everybody Loves Chris," "Dirt," as well as recurring on "How I Met Your Mother," and hosted "Don't Forget the Lyrics. His film work includes the feature films "Crossover," "The List," (a romantic comedy with Sydney Tamiia Poitier), and most recently "1982" from director Tommy Oliver.

This past year he's performed live on his sold out world tour "Makin' Sh*t Up," started on the new Sci-Fi series "Aftermath," was welcomed back to Broadway and received rave reviews starring as Lola in the Tony Award® winning production of Kinky Boots, while lending his vocal talents to both Disney's animated series "Sophia the First," and Nickelodeon's "Loud House."

He will return for his 8th season as the host of CBS's "Let's Make A Deal," as well as the 5th new season of "Who's Line Is it Anyway" on the CW this year.

Mr Brady will join Ari Afsar as Eliza Hamilton; Miguel Cervantes as Alexander Hamilton; Alexander Gemignani as King George III, CHRIS DE'SEAN LEE as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Joseph Morales as Mr. Cervantes' alternate; Karen Olivo as Angelica Schuyler, JOSÈ RAMOS as John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton; Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, and Samantha Marie Ware as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds.

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, as told by America now.