Being asked to take Hamilton to Asia was music to my ears, says Filipina actress
▶ Rachelle Ann Go cut her teeth in the West End as Eliza, but thrives on the global stage, writes One Carlo Diaz
RWhen I first played the role in the West End, I had this vision that, one day, Hamilton will come to the Philippines
RACHELLE ANN GO
Actress
eprising her role in Hamilton is a dream come true for Rachelle Ann Go. The Filipina had already ticked off a career bucket list entry by playing Eliza Schuyler in London’s West End. However, with the travelling show in the middle of its Asia tour, the chance to return to the cast is even more special – as she performed in her home country.
“When I first played the role in the West End production in 2017, I had this vision that, one day, Hamilton will come to the Philippines,” says Go.
It was a full-circle moment for the actress, 37, when she received a call in 2022 from Michael Cassel Group, the company behind the show’s international tour. She was invited to step into the shoes of Eliza once more.
Despite her prophecies, Go admits she was anxious to take the job because she was pregnant with her second child at the time. “Am I going to be able to sing the songs?” she says. “Am I going to be fit for the role? There were so many doubts and fears.”
She eventually said yes, adding: “Of course, that’s home. I need to be there. I want to share this amazing story with my people.”
The show ran in Manila from September to November last year. Now, Go is in Abu Dhabi, home to a sizeable Filipino expatriate community, to continue the international tour until February 11.
“I had fun doing it again in Manila, so I said yes to Abu Dhabi,” she adds.
“It’s been nice discovering this country with my husband and two children. They are here with me for the tour.”
Go plays one of the major characters in the show, the wife of the titular role Alexander Hamilton. She appears in many of the biggest ensembles, with a few solo numbers including Burn, where the climax of her character development ensues.
“She’s been through a lot,” Go says of Eliza, making it one of the show’s more emotionally demanding roles.
Despite first playing the character in the UK capital in 2017, Go admits she still seeks guidance from directors over and over again in “navigating her story, particularly in Burn, where she’s the only person on stage”. The actress, who has accrued a huge legion of fans and followers in the Philippines since landing her roles, resonates with Eliza’s “strong character as a woman”. She says she channels her past experiences to give weight to the performance.
Before landing the Hamilton role, Go had completed several stints in celebrated West End productions. In 2014, she played the role of Gigi Van Tranh in Miss Saigon. She was then cast as Fantine in Les Miserables for its rerun the following year.
The actress says since joining Hamilton, she has evolved as a person and picked up different life experiences that have helped her give a more nuanced performance while playing Eliza.
“It’s a different take now,” she says. “Now that I’m a wife and a mother, I understand Eliza’s experiences better.”
Hamilton was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and had its premiere on Broadway in 2015, after seven years of writing the music, lyrics and script.
It tells the story of American founding father Hamilton, from his days at King’s College in New York in 1776 to becoming the first US treasury secretary and his eventual death in 1804. Miranda based it on the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
It quickly became one of the industry’s most popular musicals in recent memory, winning 11 Tony Awards.
A huge part of its cultural resonance comes from it being heavily influenced by hip-hop, a rare occurrence on Broadway at the time of its release.
There are also sprinklings of mainstream pop music, RnB and soul in the 46-track show, making it more accessible to audiences who aren’t traditional theatregoers.
Although it was hugely successful in the West, the Abu Dhabi residency provided another way to test its universality, especially with the UAE welcoming more international musicals to the country in recent years – The Lion King hit the stage in 2022 and Matilda The Musical will arrive in June.
Alex Lacamoire, the show’s original music director, orchestrator and conductor, was in Abu Dhabi during the first days of its run. It marked his first time in the region and he says he was curious to see how the show would be received.
Asked how he has remained hands-on years almost a decade after its launch, he says: “I love the show so much. I care about it so much. There’s something about the joy I get being able to give notes to the cast, and being able to see their performances.”
Success hasn’t come without criticism, however. Many questioned why the show doesn’t discuss more important points in American history, such as slavery. There has also been criticism of the show’s casting.
On these, Lacamoire tells The National: “It’s hard to talk about everything all at once in a three-hour musical.
“It was not anyone’s wish to belittle anyone, to offend or insult anyone by shining a light on something, something’s going to be left in the dark, and that is a shame.”
He says they did their best to “tell the story we wanted to”.
For many, it’s worked, with Hamilton billed as one of the most successful, both critically and commercially, modern musicals. One need look no further than the crowds at Etihad Arena to see its growing international appeal.