Skip to main content

Hamilton and Me by Giles Terera

Who doesn’t want to be in the room where it happens? Anyone who has seen Hamilton, whether onstage or via the recording of the Broadway production on Disney Plus, can’t fail to have wondered what it was like to be part of a show that is as much a movement as a mere musical. A production promoting conversation about race, about immigration and about one’s place in the wider world. Heady subjects given the political turmoil of recent years!

Thankfully Giles Terera, the electrifying Burr in the original London cast, is an avid journal keeper and has tidied his thoughts into a fascinating book that is released this week. Hamilton and Me is an intriguing look at the process from first discovering the show (via the cast recording) through auditions and all the way to opening night.

On the way we learn a lot about Giles’ upbringing and the way he channels this into his role. Other cast members weave in and out of the narrative, most notably his onstage rival Jamael Westman whose mentions give us insight into how close actors become when working on a production as well as how the young Westman could project the maturity of Hamilton. Another regular is Jason Pennycooke the West End veteran coming across as a big brother figure for the rest of the cast.

Terera is open about his fears once he has auditioned and is left waiting to know more, shedding light on the relationship between himself and his agent. He also guides us through his own creative process of researching and trying to understand the path of the person he is portraying.

There’s nothing here to dislike, but for me I would have enjoyed ore insight into how Giles evolved his performance and understanding through his run in the role… but maybe that is being saved for a book of its own!

In many ways this is a natural companion piece to Nick Hern Books’ popular series of Year of… titles by Antony Sher and if you enjoyed those there will be plenty to appreciate here too.

You can find out more or order copies at https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/hamilton-and-me

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"I'm just focused on getting that third trophy and enjoying the rest of my time with the guys here." David Goodwin on preparing for Playoff Finals Weekend

photo courtesy of William Cherry, Press Eye It’s EIHL playoff final weekend! After eight months of toil, four teams will face off for the chance to lift the last silverware of the season. First up Belfast Giants take on Cardiff Devils so I caught up with David Goodwin to see how the team are feeling after a battle against Dundee Stars and how ready they are for the games ahead. It was, I suggest, an intense weekend for the team. “Yeah, I mean it was. It always is. The quarterfinals… you never know what you're going to get.” Goodwin replies. “On one hand, you have us, the Giants, who are coming off a league title win, so we're on a high. But then you got Dundee, who don't want to go away quietly. They were fighting and scratching and clawing for every inch and it lead to two feisty games. “I give Dundee a lot of credit. They threw everything they had at us. But ultimately, I think our consistent play, maybe some of our higher skill was able to shine through and get the...
Post a Comment
Read more

"If it was easy everybody would do it. That’s the best part about this, it’s hard!" Jeff Baum on Belfast Giants record-setting seventh league title

  Last weekend the Belfast Giants etched their names, once again, in the EIHL history books with a record-setting seventh league title. A dramatic win for the men in teal, away in Nottingham in the final minutes of the season, was a fitting end to a spectacular season and though there are still play off games to contend with, the club have made sure to celebrate their success. We caught up with Jeff Baum to see just how much fun was had and to hear about how he keeps focused for the games still to come. “It’s a very unique situation to win a trophy and still have - hopefully - four more games to keep playing. It’s a great honour to have finished out the league season the way we wanted to and to be able to celebrate that together…. That sigh of relief that we’ve been able to accomplish a goal we set ourselves at the beginning of the season. That’s two goals checked off, from the three we set ourselves at the beginning of every season. Now it’s time to reset our mindset, get back ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Certain games you look to, maybe against like the likes of Cardiff or Sheffield or Nottingham" - Josh Roach looks to the season ahead for the Belfast Giants

With player announcements in full flow, CHL fixtures next month and the Elite League season hot on its heels what better time to get back to chatting with players on what they are up to and their thoughts on the season ahead. Fresh off announcing his return to the  Belfast Giants we caught up with Josh Roach . “We're starting to get close to that pre-pre-season time, so I’m enjoying a little bit more relaxing before we get back into it… it won't be long.” Roach tells us, before sharing how he has spent his summer. “I was home for a quick visit right at the end of the season and then we went on a little holiday, but other than that I've just been on the island. It's kind of nice to have some downtime in Belfast and explore around here a bit more.” “You don't really get the opportunity many times to stay for summer in the place you play, so you get comfortable. This is year five for me, so it is really is like a second home and honestly, it feels more weird t...
Post a Comment
Read more