Manoa Valley Theatre Will Host Joseph Morales of HAMILTON on This Week's MVT Live

This week's episode of Manoa Valley Theatre's new live streaming video series called MVT Live, features two exciting talents this Friday at 4:00 p.m. Viewers will have a front row seat and an exclusive behind the scenes look at the glamorous world of live theatre. The stream will be posted on @manoavalleytheatre's Live Facebook stream, as well as on www.streamyard.com. The host, Dylan Chace Lee, gets personal with actor Melanie Carrié, seen most recently at MVT in their hit musical Once. MVT is thrilled to also host Joseph Morales, a stage and TV actor, known for starring as Alexander Hamilton in the musical Hamilton's Chicago production and second national touring production. They'll talk about everything from their background in performing, favorite acting experiences and even a live performance by Melani.

Each live episode will feature chats with favorite actors and directors from current and past productions at MVT in a casual, from-home streaming video format. Executive Director Kip Wilborn will join in with news from the theatre and give hints about the exciting new season beginning in September, including five Hawaii premieres.

Joseph Morales is an American stage and TV actor, known for starring as Alexander Hamilton in the musical Hamilton's Chicago production and second national touring production. As part of a military family, Morales moved frequently during his childhood, living in Virginia, Texas, and Hawaii. While in Hawaii, he appeared in Manoa Valley Theatre's production of Side Show during the 2000-2001 season. He encountered the Oregon Shakespeare Festival during a high school trip to Medford, Oregon, and made a decision to study theater at Southern Oregon University. After one year, he dropped out to begin auditioning for roles in New York.

From October 2009 to July 2010, Morales performed on Broadway in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical In the Heights, as a member of the ensemble and as understudy for Usnavi, Piragua Guy, and Sonny. He was then chosen to star in the show's first national tour, as Miranda's replacement in the lead role of Usnavi, which he played from July 25, 2010 to April 3, 2011.

After touring in the cast of Bombay Dreams, Morales appeared in the national tour of If/Then from October 2015 to August 2016. On March 10, 2017, Morales joined the Chicago company of Hamilton, as alternate in the role of Alexander Hamilton. Later that year, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller announced that Morales had been chosen to lead the show's second national tour in the title role, starring alongside Nik Walker as Aaron Burr. His first show as title player on the Philip Tour was February 6, 2018 in Seattle. His television credits include Colony (2016) and Chicago Med (2015).

Melani Carrié's love for music began at age 6 when she began training in classical piano. She has performed solo in venues across Europe and Asia and played alongside a number of talented musicians and singers here in Hawaii. Melani is also an avid performer, making her musical theatre debut as Marguerite St. Just in her high school production of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at age 17.

Since moving to Hawaii, she has acted in leading roles in Manoa Valley Theatre's renditions of "Princess and the Iso Peanut" (Princess Alexis), "Allegiance" (Mrs. Maruyama/Hanako Kimura/Kei Kimura Understudy), and "Once" (Girl) as well as Leeward Theatre's "In the Heights" (Vanessa).

In her spare time, Melani also plays live music at venues around the island and looks forward to performing again once the current chaos has subsided and the world has had time to heal.

Amid COVID-19 concerns, Manoa Valley Theatre has postponed the opening of the Wild West musical comedy Desperate Measures, originally scheduled to open March 19. The show's new performance dates are May 14 - 31. Moving forward, MVT will continue to follow the lead of our city, state and federal elected officials as it implements strategies recommended by public health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will be in touch with ticket holders on their new dates. MVT will also post updates on its website at manoavalleytheatre.com/alerts.

Manoa Valley Theatre recognizes Season Benefactor Sponsors Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Cades Schutte and the Cades Foundation, and D. Suehiro Electric, Inc. The Season Presenter Sponsors are the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and 'Iolani School. Season Sponsors are Bob & Corrine Taylor on behalf of Maui Divers Jewelry, the George Mason Fund of Hawaii Community Foundation and Jeffrey S. Portnoy in memory of Sandi Portnoy. The Season Supporting Sponsor is First Hawaiian Bank. Desperate Measures Play Sponsor is Aon Risk Services, Inc. of Hawaii.

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