My Little Broadway - May 2016: Hamilton

Greetings to all! Oak Splitter here, and this is the start of my barand new series, My Little Broadway! In this series I will take a look at popular musicals from the past and present, and try to cast some of our favourite characters from the My Little Pony Universe in the lead and supporting roles. For the first month of this brand new series, I thought it would be best to start with one of the latest and greatest stage musicals to hit Broadway: Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton! Let's get started.

Background & Story
Hamilton was originally conceived back in 2009 by Miranda after he read Alex Chernow's biography of the man. After many years of work and writing the show eventually debuted off-Broadway in February 2015 to and went on to sell out. It eventually moved to the Richard Rogers theatre in August of the same year, where it has enjoyed great success since. The show has received massive critical and commercial success as well as a number of rewards, including a Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy, and a current 16 nominations for next months Tony Awards, which is a record. Plans are already underway for a U.S. and International tour.

The story tells of Hamilton's life, how a orphan from the Caribbean managed to find his way to the American Revolution, become George Washington's right hand man, and eventually the first Treasury Secretary of the new United States, based purely on the power of his writing and personality alone. It tells of his rise and fall from power, his relationships, both with friends and family, plus the other Founding Fathers, and his eventual death in that fateful duel with Aaron Burr.

So, with that done, we move on to the main event, but first, a few ground rules:

1) I will not be casting any female characters in male roles. I know that that may limit my selection of characters because of the much larger female cast, but I will be casting this like I would actually cast the play, so the male parts will go to male characters, and the female parts to female character. However, that does not mean it will all be pony characters, I'll use characters of other races if their personalities fit.

2) A lot of roles in Hamilton are double cast to create very interesting parallels between character relationships. I will also be doing this in order to stay true to the play. I will also cast an understudy, another Pony who I believe could fit the role if needed.

3) All these castings are purely my opinion and mine only.

Anyway, let's get down to it:

Casting

Spike the Dragon as Alexander Hamilton: Annnnd straight out the gate with an unusual casting. Hamilton is a character who's very driven by his low birth and status to prove his worth and ensure his legacy in history, a man who can never resist a challenge and has to be the smartest person at all times, never stopping or slowing down. Out of all the main male characters, I can see Spike filling this position best. Plus, he does a ton of writing in the show, very alike to Hamilton. Of course he would be aged up. Understudy: Flash Sentry

Big Macintosh as Aaron Burr: Burr is not only the villain of the piece, but the complete antithesis of Hamilton. While just as smart, he's also very cautious. I mean, the Act One song where he explains his personal beliefs is called "Wait for It". In this case I think the quiet and withdrawn Big Mac would be perfect for this role. Understudy: Dr Hooves

Fluttershy as Eliza Schuyler/Hamilton: While Fluttershy might not be the most obvious choice for a female lead, you have to look at the character as whole. In certain songs Eliza says her self that "I have never been the one to try and grab the spotlight." Her sister Angelica also states that "You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind." Who else could play the role but her? Plus she's shown she has the voice capable for the challenging songs that the character has. Understudy: Coco Pommel

Rarity as Angelica Schuyler: This choice is obvious really. Hamilton's character in the play is just as heavily involved romantically with Angelica as he was with Eliza, so Rarity makes the most sense. Plus she's also a lady, which translates well, and she also has the necessary vocal talent. Understudy: Fleur de Lis

Shining Armour as George Washington: So Washington is not only important in the play for the historical points, but also because he was very much a father figure to Hamilton. As the only soldier we really know, plus being an adopted big brother to Spike, it makes sense to have Shining Armour fill this role. Understudy: Starswirl

Discord as King George: While not really a central character, King George does have one of the most entertaining songs in the show with "You'll Be Back", and he's a lot of fun. So, who better to play the Mad King of England than the Lord of Chaos? This was the first choice that i finalized, and it was a decision that was very easily made. Understudy: Tirek or Sombra

Fancy Pants as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson: Now here we are with the first dual cast role. The reason for the dual casting is because of how the characters show very clear parallels in Hamilton's life. Lafayette was one of Hamilton's closest wartime allies, while Jefferson was his biggest political rival. However the two were also big parts of the beginning of the French Revolution and close friends themselves. Both were also somewhat nobility. Meaning the only choice has to be the only likable noble in the series, Fancy Pants. Since Lafayette is very likeable, and Jefferson is someone you like, even though he's kind of a dick, I think Fancy Pants is the best pony for the job. Understudy: Trenderhoof

Bulk Biceps as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison: This one is more of a comedy choice. Mulligan in Act One is an extremely intense and hardcore rapper, while Madison in Act Two is very reserved and quiet, creating an amusing contrast. So if it's something with a little comedy, then Bulk Biceps would be the perfect person for the comedic contrast. Understudy: Iron Will

Pipsqueak as John Laurens/ Phillip Hamilton: Hamilton's best friend and first son, who both died young and whose deaths left a deep mark on Hamilton's life. Both are very opinionated and fast-talking individuals, and were very clearly showed to be almost on par with Hamilton. Sine I picked Spike, I saw it fitting to pick another younger character, and Pipsqeak was the preferred choice. Understudy: Featherweight

Sweetie Belle as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds: This is a bit of a weird one. Peggy, the third Schuyler sister isn't much of a character, and only has a few lines. Maria Reynolds on the other hand, is incredibly important as the woman who seduced Hamilton into the affair that ruined his career. She's also another character who has some challenging songs, so seeing as she's already Rarity's sister too, and is a great singer, an aged up Sweetie Belle would fit the role well. Understudy: Diamond Tiara

And that's everyone. Of course there would be a chorus as well, but those can be filled up by other background ponies. Like my ideas? Have some of your own? Feel free to let me know in the comments below. I already have next month's musical planned out, as I am going to be rehearsing for it all month long, but feel free to leave ideas of what to do next below. This is Oak Splitter, signing out.

Comments

[themouthofmush]

this seems like it would be an interesting thing to read. i've never seen a play, outside of any plays one would typically see as a grade schooler, but it sounds like an interesting watch.

[Godslittleprincess]

Interesting how you picked Flash Sentry as the understudy for Alexander Hamilton, mostly because of headcanon reasons.