News broke yesterday that certain members of blockbuster Broadway musical Hamilton's cast may be leaving the show this summer.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that Phillipa Soo, who portrays Eliza Hamilton, is set to depart after July 9. She's nominated for best actress in a musical at tonight's Tonys for the part.
The trade paper reported that Soo, actor-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and possibly others in the popular musical's company have performance contracts expiring at or after the aforementioned date. The rag also speculated that Miranda will return to the lead of Alexander Hamilton for the show's West End run next year.
One of the most explosively popular productions in recent memory, not many would have predicted Hamilton's lasting success on the Great White Way. Soo and Miranda have each been in their parts since early 2015 when the show debuted Off Broadway at the Public Theatre, staying on for its move to Broadway's Richard Rogers Theatre. The Hollywood Reporter sums up the musical's acclaim:
"Few shows -- coupled with a hit cast recording -- have ever boosted the profiles of its performers as much as this one, and not just for its leads. Pretty much all of Hamilton's principal cast members now have personal publicists and are turning up on ... talk shows, a rarity for 'theater actors.' The last show to have this kind of impact was probably Rent, 20 years ago."
Soo spoke to Interview magazine about Hamilton's historical representation and its powerful portrayal of the Founding Father's wife:
"It highlights all of the amazing things about our country, but it also highlights the flaws, a huge one being that women were not part of recorded history," she continues. "I think the most powerful thing in the play is the question of who tells your story. For Eliza, she asks, 'Will they tell my story?' And we are doing that. But for her in that moment, I wonder would she even fathom that one day her legacy would be brought to the Broadway stage?"
Below, watch Soo’s chat with AOL BUILD:
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