The Deseret News recently sat down with Thayne Jasperson, the last original cast member remaining in the Broadway production of “Hamilton,” to reflect on 10 years of the cultural phenomenon.
From the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, in between a matinee and evening show, the dancer/actor/singer who grew up in Wyoming and Utah opened up about his favorite “Hamilton” moments over the years, watching his fellow cast members leave and if he himself ever plans to leave.
Below is a video from the interview — and three major takeaways.
‘Hamilton’ still sells
Although Broadway has a slow season — typically in the winter months following the new year — Jasperson says “Hamilton” is generally an exception to that rule.
“It sells well,” he told the Deseret News.
The overall gross of “Hamilton” sits at just over $1 billion, per Broadway World, becoming only the fourth musical in an elite club that includes “The Lion King,” “Wicked” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Just this past week alone, the production grossed over $2.2 million, according to Broadway World.
And in the fall, every single performance for nearly three months — from Sept. 9 through Nov. 26 — is sold out as Leslie Odom Jr., the original Aaron Burr, reprises his role in “Hamilton.”
Audiences are still filling the theater.
“It’s still packed,” Jasperson said. “I think that it’s because it is a timeless piece, because it’s history. I think it resonates to anybody also because the music is all across the board, in like rapping and pop and musical theater and different dynamics. So I think everybody connects to it.”
The appeal of the show is still strong
The appeal of the show is still going strong — for audiences, and for Jasperson, who has been in more than 3,200 performances.
“Over 3,000 shows of ‘Hamilton,’ isn’t that crazy?” he said. “Never did I think I would do a show for 10 years — ever."
“The reason that I stayed is because the show is so good,” Jasperson continued. “Everything is good about it. It’s always relevant. ... You get to do fantastic material.”
In a typical production, Jasperson plays the role of loyalist Samuel Seabury — a role he’s proud to have originated on Broadway. He’s also an understudy for the scene-stealing King George III —which he’s performed hundreds of times — and John Laurens.
But it’s his role in the ensemble that carries the most weight when it comes to deciding if he’s ready to take his final bow. The purpose of the ensemble in “Hamilton,” Jasperson said, is elevated compared to other Broadway productions.
“As an ensemble member in this show, you truly feel like a principal because they’ve created it that way,” he said. “They’ve made it so that we are all pushing the wheel to keep the progress of the show going, and if we aren’t, then it doesn’t move. The importance makes me not want to leave to just kind of chill in the back of some other show.”
The ‘Hamilton’ phenomenon still exists — but it’s different
Jasperson still remembers the general feeling of anticipation he felt from the earliest “Hamilton” audiences, a palpable excitement that bubbled out of the theater and into the streets.
“I loved how the audience was feeding on the words,” he recalled. “Everybody’s mouths open, eyes huge, just staring and listening intently to every word that was coming out and waiting to see what was going to happen. That was so fun.”
During those early days, a steady stream of A-listers and high-profile political figures came to see what all of the hype was about: Jon Bon Jovi, Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Usher, former U.S. President and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel.
Ten years later, the “Hamilton” phenomenon still exists, Jasperson said, but it has taken a different shape.
Now, instead of the awe he witnessed from those first audiences, when “Hamilton” was still largely unknown, there’s a discernible familiarity.
People know all the words. They know what to expect. And they know when they’re going to laugh, or cry.
It’s the various reactions from fans, Jasperson says, that make every performance different.
“The fans are really what keep your heart going, and I think that that’s the secret some people don’t always realize,” he said.
