Set the stage for history
DAVID Korins took me backstage to see the 1700s set he created for “Hamilton.” “The show spans 30 years, countless locations — ball scene, ship scene, battle scene, housing, hurricane, government. Lin-Manuel
Miranda said: ‘I have no idea what to design. Look, I’ve got enough on my plate.’
“I researched. Pictures, drawings, sketches, prints, history, descriptions. One depiction showed a lit candle, so in one scene I set candles. I visited the real places. I took photographs. The $800,000 set took four months to build.
“This rigorous show has 51 numbers. Our half-built brick wall changes, ages and grows 8 feet higher between acts. Intermission, as the audience is peeing or getting a drink, we’re flying in walls and scaffolding. I redid foammade bricks 33 times — too red, too beige, too brown — until the right color complemented our racially diverse cast.
“Props are huge — weapons, Washington’s exact sword, Aaron Burr’s papers, 30-page documents, pamphlets, Hamilton’s exact desk, quillholder. Every prop’s recreated, rechecked eight times a week.”
And center stage, atop this bridge, are the unseen carved initials “SK” and “VK.” “For my kids,
Stella and Vivian. “All’s created within an inch of its life. Two turntables moving independently or together have built-in redundancy and exit strategy. If they break, we’ve rehearsed ways to manipulate them manually.”
This guy’s done restaurants Redeye Grill, Bond 45, and Shelly Fireman’s new Florian in Chelsea, so how did he land “Hamilton”?
“I’ve designed shows, galleries, rock concerts. I’ve worked with this creative team before. I prepped hard, prepared sketches upon sketches, listened to the music, and I said, ‘Give me a shot.’ ”
He’s built B’way sets for “Annie,” “Godspell,” “Motown” but “never been to the Tonys. This will be my first time.”
We were there 90 minutes before showtime. To an actor friend subbing for a player, Korins shouted: “Hey, do a good job today. My family’s coming.”