‘Hamilton’ arrives to give Chattanoogans their shot to see hit musicial
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Chattanoogans no longer have to wait for it.
It’s their shot to see one of the biggest musicals of the modern era right here in Chattanooga.
Up until now to be in the room where it happened, you had to travel to Broadway or many other larger cities to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit.
The winner of 11 Tony Awards, ‘Hamilton’ tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton from taking part in the American Revolution, to being in George Washington’s first cabinet.
Lily Soto, Marja Harmon, and Lauren Mariasoosay playing the Schuyler Sisters in a 2024 production of Hamilton. (Courtesy: Joan Marcus)
Its impact on our city is expected to stay alive past its run.
“It is a sensory explosion. I mean from the moment the show starts; the technical components, the lighting, the ensemble, and the dancing is fantastic. It just doesn’t stop going,” said actress Marja Harmon.
She plays the part of Angelica Schuyler in the Chattanooga production of Hamilton.
Harmon described her character as, “She’s like the matriarchal figure of the show. She’s the eldest Schuyler sister. Her love story with Alexander Hamilton is really unique. They fall in love but they can’t be together because of a bunch of societal reasons but also because her sister is in love with him too.”
Its impact on our city is expected to stay alive past its run.
The show according to the Tivoli Foundation’s CEO Nick Wilkerson is expected to entertain over 30-thousand during its run here.
He says it’s been a vision over the past nine years to get to this point, including upgrades to the Memorial Auditorium.
Wilkinson said, “We’ve been working diligently to try to get to this point, but I don’t think we’d envisioned that we’d have Hamilton as fast as we did. It’s honestly the biggest show on Broadway. It’s maybe the biggest show that’s ever existed. We hope that by Hamilton being here, it will establish Chattanooga as a destination for Broadway and continue to land fantastic shows.”
The Hamilton cast will also be putting on free classes for students interested in theatre.
The Director of Education for the Tivoli Foundation, Ellie Austin, said, “I’ve never seen a community so excited for any event in my life, truly. The emails I’m receiving, the calls, the texts. Everybody just wants to engage which is really exciting, and the best part about it is that Hamilton as a company really, really loves education.”
Harmon says that despite the musical’s young age, she believes it to already be a timeless classic.
She said, “I’ve been part of this show now for seven years, and seeing how it resonates through different time periods of our country. Through different tragedies like Covid and different administrations, the audience always finds something relevant and something to connect to.”
The show will be running at the Memorial Auditorium through next Sunday, May 4th.
The cast is giving free dance and vocal lessons to local students Friday with a handful of spots left.
For more information on that, visit the Tivoli Foundation’s website.
