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A kid from Kendall helped create one of Broadway’s biggest shows as its music director. Now another Miamian is taking on that role on tour.
“Hamilton” is considered by many to be composer and songwriter LinManuel Miranda’s masterpiece. Miranda worked alongside Miami native (and former Kendall resident) Alex Lacamoire on the award-winning hip-hop musical about the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Lacamoire served as the Broadway production’s music director, orchestrator and conductor.
As the touring company of the show makes its way to Miami’s Arsht Center through March 24, another local will be at the helm of the musical direction. Manny Schvartzman, a pianist and Florida International University alum, works on the tour as the musical director, which means he handles all things music and conducts the show from the piano. Originally from Argentina, Schvartzman came to Miami when he was 7 years old.
He grew up playing piano and figured he would do “the whole Bugs Bunny thing” as a solo concert pianist. But everything changed at Coral Reef High School when he was asked to play piano for a theater show and fell in love with the collaboration. Since then, Schvartzman has played at just about every theater from Broward to Miami-Dade, he said.
A big fan of Miranda and Lacamoire’s work on the musical “In the Heights,” Schvartzman was taken with the music of “Hamilton.” He recalled tuning into the NPR stream of the musical years ago, and was immediately hooked.
“If I wasn’t part of it, I’d still be listening to it,” he said. “For me, to be entrusted with being the music director means a lot to me. I carry it with a lot of pride and a lot of respect for it.”
The show’s story, which highlights Hamilton’s background as an immigrant who came to the United
States, is especially relevant to Miami, he said.
“Miami is highly made up of immigrants. We all came from somewhere, and if not us, our parents did. That’s a lot of the Hamilton story and the founding of this country,” he said. “It’ll resonate a lot for different reasons for different people, but the immigrant story is something I carry with pride when I watch the show.”
Schvartzman will be directing another Miami native in the band, drummer Quinton “Q” Robinson.
Throughout his career, Robinson has played drums for pop and R&B artists, from Bobby Brown to Anthony David, but “theater has always been my first love.” Robinson has been drumming since he was 3. He grew up playing the drums in church, attended performing arts elementary, middle and high schools in Miami and graduated from the University of Miami.
The challenge of “Hamilton” drew him to the musical. The show’s drum
book is especially difficult to master, given the score’s hip-hop and R&B songs. Though it’s impossible for him to pick a favorite, he said he loves the dance break in the song “Yorktown.” Robinson said he feels grateful to play the show in his hometown.
“It’s one thing to come back home to perform for my friends, my family and my community, but it’s another thing to be a part of a pop-culture phenomenon,” he said. “There’s a sense of pride that I’m coming back to give back to the community that helped me get to where I am now.”
Floridians also shine in the cast: Playing the lead
Quinton ‘Q’ Robinson of Miami plays the drums on the ‘Hamilton’ national tour. role of Hamilton is Blaine Alden Krauss from Tampa. Other Floridian castmates include Eddie Ortega (Mulligan/ Madison) and Tristan Hill (ensemble) from Orlando and Devin Tyler Hatch (dance captain) from St. Petersburg.
“I wanted to be a part of something that’s really exciting and transcending cultural boundaries,” Krauss said. “It became more than just a musical phenomenon. It’s synonymous with pop culture and politics. But also, as an actor, it’s just an incredible story.”
Growing up in Tampa, Krauss got his start singing in church, wondering if he’d be more like Brian McKnight or Usher. He credits his success to the support he got from his teachers in elementary school.
Krauss was in the second season of “Pose” on HBO, “The Cher Show” musical, performed as
Lola in “Kinky Boots” and Simba on an international tour of “The Lion King.” He initially joined the “Hamilton” tour as a stand-in for the characters of Hamilton, his nemesis Aaron Burr and the tyrannical King George. He was recently offered the lead role, making the tour’s stop in Miami his third time taking the stage as the principal actor for Hamilton.
“I’ve really come up the ladder and I’ve experienced every place at the stage. So to finally be the guy, you’ll see me every night and the honor that that is huge,” he said. “To come home to Florida and bring this experience with you all is just the cherry on the cake. I’m buzzing to get to be down there.”
This story was produced with financial support from individuals and Berkowitz Contemporary Arts in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.