Ever since the world-renowned musical “Hamilton” made its debut in 2015, Ann Arbor native/actress Nadina Hassan dreamed about being in it.
Well, a little over a decade later, her dream came true.
“It’s a dream show! It’s a show I’ve wanted to be in for 10 years. It’s incredible that this moment in time is now here,” said Hassan. “It’s one of the biggest musicals to ever exist… It’s such a unique lens through the people of color onstage and the cultures of the people onstage, (which) infuses all of that into the material and the storytelling of something rooted in U.S. history. It’s such an incredible musical, and I’m really, really grateful to be a part of it.”
Hassan – an alumna of Skyline High School in Ann Arbor and Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH – made her “Hamilton” debut on April 15.
“It was so much fun. It was wonderful to share the stage with everybody,” she said. “I just enjoy sharing this story with people. I love how excited people get when they’re impacted by art. Getting to do that for somebody else, whether the story makes them laugh or cry or have a shared experience with hundreds of thousands of people a day is really, really special.”
Hassan will appear in “Hamilton” when it returns to the Fisher Theatre as part of the Broadway in Detroit series from April 29 to May 17.
“Hamilton” is based on author/journalist Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography called “Alexander Hamilton.” Hamilton is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington, and – of course – is the face on the $10 bill. Hamilton is also the first American politician publicly involved in a national sex scandal (with Maria Reynolds) in what is called the Hamilton-Reynolds affair in 1791–92.
RELATED: U-M Musical Theater Student Makes National Tour Debut in “Les Misérables”
“Hamilton” was created by multiple-time Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning songwriter, actor, singer, rapper and filmmaker Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical has won 11 Tonys, seven Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Grammy and a special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Tony-winning “Hamilton” producer and University of Michigan alumna Jeffery Seller first met Miranda in 2008 when he produced Miranda’s first musical, “In the Heights.”
“I’ve been able to bear witness to his ingenuity, creativity and rise. I’ve watched him get better and better over our years together,” said Seller. “It’s very satisfying to be a producer who has a long-term relationship with an artist based on trust, dependability, and nurturing.”
In “Hamilton,” Hassan plays two characters: Peggy Schuyler and Maria (pronounced “Mariah”) Reynolds. Ever since “Hamilton” debuted, Schuyler and Reynolds have always been played by the same actress to serve as a deliberate artistic and practical choice. This doubling highlights the themes of the “forgotten women” in Hamilton’s life, showing how both Schuyler (the overlooked sister) and Reynolds (the mistress) are the “other women” compared to Hamilton’s devoted wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton.
“It was just the conception from early on in the show,” said Hassan. “Peggy didn’t live as long as her sisters in real life. Historically, she wasn’t around for what happened in the second act, so it made sense to be played by the same actress. They’re very different people, these two women. It’s very fun in the span of one show to play such different characters. It’s a very unique experience.”
She continued: “These women are dichotomous with one another. They come from very different classes and stations in life, which we see play out in the musical in how they interact, even their clothing… All of these things contribute to showing us how different they are, the different kinds of people (Hamilton) interacted with, the men of that time having interacted with the women of that time – it’s all very interesting.”
Being of Colombian and Egyptian descent, Hassan – who is the first woman of color to play “Queen Bee” Regina George in the national tour of “Mean Girls” and part of the first all-Arabic cast of a musical in “We Live in Cairo” – spoke about making putting her own spin on Schuyler and Reynolds.
“The ‘Hamilton’ team is really, really wonderful about letting you as an actor interpret how these characters behave with each one another, which is a really unique experience,” she explained. “I try to infuse many different parts of myself and my personality into how I view them, how I view these women of that time, just giving them a power and independence that women of that time didn’t always get to use – something we really don’t talk about in the history books. All of these women had such interesting lives and perspectives. Highlighting them is important because we don’t necessarily talk about them as frequently.”
Both Hassan and Seller gave their perspectives about the staying power of “Hamilton.”
“It’s been so fun to be on the other side of the stage this time,” said Hassan. “I’ve seen ‘Hamilton’ several times and every time is impactful, it’s so incredibly impactful. Marrying the rich musical history of people of color in this country and using that storytelling to share this historical tale that we all learned in school through a different lens… a really, really interesting lens.”
Seller credited the enduring popularity of “Hamilton” to the score, which blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway music.
“People have loved the music for 10 years. People still love listening to it, still love singing to it,” he said. “When there are that many people who love it, their children start loving it as well. You wind up regenerating more audiences as kids come around. You have kids who are maybe 16 or 17 who were little when it debuted and are now as excited about it as their parents. The other thing that makes people fall in love with the musicals is the characters. ‘Hamilton’ has incredibly compelling characters. ‘Hamilton’ is this completely fresh lens looking at the Revolutionary War and the founding of our country through the eyes of Alexander Hamilton as opposed to all of our other Founding Fathers.”
According to Seller, many can relate to the fact that Hamilton is “the ultimate American dreamer.”
“He’s an immigrant who wants to make it big in New York City,” said Seller. “I’ve certainly witnessed people inspired by that over the last 10 years when young kids – particularly kids of color – who look on that stage see themselves and say, ‘I’m part of the American story, too.’ ‘Hamilton’ manages to embrace all of us.”
“Hamilton” at the Fisher Theatre
“Hamilton” will play at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit, from April 29 through May 17. Tickets range from $195-$300. Book tickets today. For questions or more information, contact the Fisher Theatre at 313-872-1000 or [email protected].
