Double Casting in Hamilton
The first song of the production Hamilton lays the foundation of the supporting characters in the show, and how they affected Alexander Hamilton’s life. One by one, characters come forward and state their influence in his life.
“We fought with him. Me, I died for him. Me, I trusted him. Me, I loved him. And me, I’m the damn fool who shot him”.
What most people don’t understand is that each line applies to multiple characters. A handful of characters were double casted in the broadway production of Hamilton, playing on the similar relationships to Alexander, and creating a deeper level to the show for those who pick up on it.
Double casting is a term mostly used in theater. It means that the same actor plays more than one character in the given play. Usually, these double casting are more random, and there isn’t a specific reason for the double casting.
In Hamilton however, the purpose for double casting was a very deliberate choice on creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s part. After studying the life of Hamilton for years, Miranda began to notice several similarities in his relationships with people in Hamilton’s life. In order to amplify these similarities, he purposefully casted the same actor or actress to play both characters.
Hercules Mulligan was a tailor’s apprentice before the Revolutionary War. He teamed up with his friends Laurens, Lafayette, and Hamilton to start the rebellion and raise his station. He was played by actor Okieriete Onaodown, who also played James Madison in the musical.
He sang the line with Daveed Diggs, “We fought with him”. The Mulligan/Madison relationship is very similar to the Lafayette/Jefferson relationship. Hercules Mulligan fought with Hamilton during the war alongside Lafayette, and Madison fought against Hamilton, alongside Jefferson.
Mulligan was a close friend of Hamilton’s and was one of the few people he trusted in his earlier years. Madison started off as a close colleague of Hamilton’s. They teamed up and wrote the series of articles known as the Federalist Papers. After a harsh falling out, Madison teamed up with Jefferson. Madison and Jefferson are notorious in the production for constantly opposing Hamilton in everything he proposes. In these ways, Onaodown and both of his characters, Mulligans and Madison, fought with Hamilton.
Hamilton was famous for being a ladies man. He married Eliza Schuyler, but had an emotional affair with her sister Angelica for decades. He loved the Schuyler sisters until the day he died. While he never was in love with the third Schuyler sister, Peggy, they confided in each other and were very close friends.
Jasmine Cephas-Jones who plays Peggy Schuyler also plays Hamilton’s mistress, Maria Reynolds. One summer while his family was on vacation, Maria Reynolds pursued a relationship with Hamilton. After finding out she slept with him, her husband James Reynolds made Hamilton pay him order to keep it a secret. While Maria denied knowing of her husband’s plan, Hamilton never forgave her, leaving her heartbroken.
“Me I died for him”. Anthony Ramos who sang this second line played both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Both were men who died defending Alexander’s honor.
John Laurens fought with Hamilton in the war, and soon became very close friends. He had been rumored to be lovers with Hamilton. Letters of correspondence were found between the two men, causing historians to theorize that they were secretly in love. This is hinted at in the show when Hamilton is introducing his friends and claims to, “like Laurens a lot”.
When General Lee disgraces George Washington’s name, Hamilton gets angry and begins planning to take action against Lee. Shortly after, he received strict orders from Washington to leave it alone. Laurens knew Hamilton would disregard the order and dual Lee anyway, throwing away his high position and influence. He offered to duel against Lee in place of Hamilton, leading to his death.
Philip was Hamilton’s oldest son. He heard that George Eacker was trash talking Hamilton in front of a crowd. Wanting to make his father proud, Philip challenged Eacker to a duel. After seeing Laurens go through this same thing, Hamilton told Philip step-by-step what to do in order to survive. Despite his honorable actions, Philip died at age 19 defending his father’s honor. Both Laurens and Philip were important men in Hamilton’s life, and their deaths shaped Hamilton’s life dramatically.
Another actor who was double casted was Daveed Diggs, and he sings the first line, “We fought with him.” Diggs played both roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, both were men who fought with Alexander for years.
They both have several similarities, the most obvious is their ties to France. Lafayette is a Frenchman who is helping the colonies fight British oppression in hopes that the favor would be returned when he led France’s revolution. Jefferson was an ambassador to France and spent several years living there. When he returned, he fought for French freedom in Washington. Lafayette was a french soldier who was a close friend to Alexander, and fought in the Revolutionary War side by side fighting together.
While Lafayette was in America, Thomas Jefferson was in France. He came home from after the war had ended and immediately began fighting with Hamilton on nearly everything. They were both important men to America, and to Hamilton, during this time. Lafayette fought Washington to get Hamilton back to Yorktown before the war had ended, and Jefferson fought Washington to get Hamilton out of office once America was established. They both fought with him, but in a different sense of the wording.
The purpose of double casting can be random, but in the case of the musical, Hamilton, the choices were deliberate. The several examples of this create a deeper, more satisfying element for fans worldwide. The double meanings and play on words is just one example of the brilliant mind of the creator, Lin- Manuel Miranda.
Knowing this, fans need to revisit the album and listen for all the parallels between the characters.