The American musical features music, lyrics and a book by the amazingly talented Lin-Manuel Miranda. In addition to 11 Tony Awards, “Hamilton” has won a Grammy, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
The musical follows the life of America’s founding father Alexander Hamilton, who began life as an orphan in the Caribbean and rose to become an American military officer, statesman and the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during George Washington’s presidency. The plot incorporates Hamilton’s involvement in the Revolutionary War and his complicated personal relationships.
It’s Schvartzman’s job to conduct the 10-person orchestra for every performance and also to play the piano in the production.
“We don’t have much of a break, mental or physical,” he admits. “So that means we are engaged the entire time focusing on navigating all of the details. It means intermission is our nice break.”
In addition to those hands-on musical roles, Schvartzman is responsible for a lot more behind-the-scenes. Conducting and playing, he said, are the “easy” parts of his job.
He’s also responsible for ensuring the show on tour maintains the same quality as the Broadway version. The original New York creative team is still involved with the production that takes to the road.
“It’s really cool that even though the show first happened 10 years ago all of the creatives for departments like lighting, sound, wigs, choreography, directing, are still part of the team that mounts each tour,” he said. " We’re not watching a video to copy what they did. We’re hearing it from the person who actually did it!”
Born in Argentina, Schvartzman grew up in Miami, Fla. He’s served as a music director, conductor, pianist, arranger, and orchestrator for more than a hundred productions.
He said the new tour group that’s coming to Dayton rehearsed for six and a half weeks before launching in June. The process began when the performers gathered in a large New York studio space with a piano and some scenic elements. Later, in a theater, other elements were added: lighting, sound, band.
In addition to Schvartzman’s 10-member orchestra, one additional person is hired as his back-up conductor and keyboard player.
There are no “understudies” for the other musicians.
”So if a musician really can’t perform, we try to find a local musician to sub in or, if time allows, we fly someone out.”
Rehearsals don’t stop once the show is on the road. They continue with understudies.
When it comes to hiring musicians, Schvartzman looks for someone who he can work with and have fun with, someone who’s consistent in performance and enjoys the travel. “The difficult thing about touring is that we are perpetually sleeping in different cities,” he said.
But he loves that part of the job.
“It’s always changing. We get to be in different cities, with different weather and thousands of new people every two weeks. I love being part of the journey the audience takes with us each night. We get to inspire and make our audiences feel something. It’s an experience only felt through the arts.”
Schvartzman, who has been with “Hamilton” for five years, calls it a masterpiece.
“The show is so unbelievably well-crafted and amazingly written,” he said. “As they wrote the show, every detail was up for discussion and perfected and they spared no expense. We are left with a 20-course meal at the finest restaurant.”
In the cast
Just a month after graduating from college, Lily Soto auditioned and landed a role in this touring company of “Hamilton.” On top of that, she was cast in a dual role.
“I cried when I found out I got the part and called my parents sobbing,” said Soto who grew up in Nashville and graduated from NYU Steinhardt in May as a vocal performance major.
“I knew the show, had seen it and watched it in high school but that’s so different from being in it and experiencing it,” she said. “Watching my coworkers perform is like a masterclass in performing.”
Her coworkers are a mix of those who are newcomers to the musical and those who’ve previously been with it on Broadway or on tour.
She wasn’t always focused on musical theater. As a child and teen in Nashville, Soto was in rock bands from ages 9 to 16.
“I’m a contemporary music girl so the style of music in ‘Hamilton’ is my preferred type of music.”
In the first act, Soto portrays Peggy, the youngest of the three Schuyler sisters. Hamilton married into the powerful Schuyler family in 1780. In the second act she is Maria Reynolds, a woman with whom Hamilton had a year-long affair.
“I’d never played dual roles before — these are two very opposite roles and it’s fun,” she said. “Peggy is a woman of privilege; Maria comes from nothing. The play points out what your life could be, with and without status and wealth.”
Soto said it took genius to bring together hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway in this musical.
“It’s incredible. The show and music just flow and are integrated so beautifully.”
Learning history
In “Hamilton,” both the casting and style of music are told through a modern lens. George Washington is often portrayed by a Hispanic or African-American actor. “Multiculturalism is a big part of what ‘Hamilton’ stands for,” said Schvartzman. “It’s telling a story of what America was then with some of the music and people that built America today.”
The script is based on a biography of Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Audiences learn how Hamilton had a hand in making our country independent and how he helped develop our financial system.
Caroline Waldron, associate professor of history at the University of Dayton, believes anything that gets students interested in history is a good thing. She’s been teaching for more than 20 years.
Waldron first saw the show in 2016 in Chicago.
“My daughter was in eighth grade at the time and she and her friends were so into ‘Hamilton’ and had memorized the whole thing … so I paid a lot of money for the tickets,” she said. “It was awesome and now I think of her generation as the ‘Hamilton’ generation. I’ve been teaching that generation at college for the past four or five years.”
“As an historian, I loved it,” said Waldron. “The energy of the musical speaks to the energy of the time…the revolutionary moment. The way Miranda depicted certain characters really captures their persona. For example, Thomas Jefferson comes on stage in a purple suit and the music moves from hip hop to jazz, so it’s very clear that he’s out of it.”.
She also thinks the musical has prompted people — including historians — to do more research about the real Alexander Hamilton. Although in the musical Hamilton is depicted as an abolitionist, for example, recent articles indicate he may have owned slaves.
“People may discover that not everything in the musical is accurate or that there’s a bigger story to be told,” Waldron said. “But they wouldn’t be thinking about all that if the musical hadn’t been made.”
HOW TO GO
What: “Hamilton,” the Broadway musical
When: Tuesday, Oct. 1 through Sunday, Oct. 13
Where: Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton
Tickets: $49-$279 before any applicable fees. Call Dayton Live Ticket Office at 937-228-3630.
Related programming
- Background on Broadway: Sixty minutes before each performance, patrons can learn about the development, history and artistry of the show. This free event is in the Schuster Center’s Fourth Floor Lobby. Patrons must have a ticket to that day’s performance.
- An After School Intensive is being held for teens ages 12-18 at the PNC Annex. Dates are Sept. 30-Oct. 4 . The cost is $299.
- Stage & Sip Adults ages 21 and up can attend a workshop and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres at 4:30 p.m. on October 9. Cost is $30 per person if you have a ticket to the show that night, if not, you can attend both for $100.
- Broadway Studio is a family pre-show event slated for October 10. Cost is $100 and includes a pre show dinner and workshop.
More info: daytonlive.org/events/dlca-asi-hamilton
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