'Hamilton' returns to Fox Cities PAC Tuesday for 2-week run
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APPLETON – The musical sensation "Hamilton" is making its way back to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Tuesday for a two-week run.
"Hamilton," which tells the story of the titular founding father's contributions to the creation of the United States through hip hop, R&B, jazz and traditional showtunes, first came to Appleton in 2019 for a three-week run, during which it broke the record for the highest grossing three weeks in the PAC's history. All 24 performances sold out.
The musical won 11 Tony Awards in 2016 and began touring the United States in 2017. It has since moved to international audiences, with performances in England, Australia and Germany, and will make its Asian premiere later this year.
Jen Sese, who plays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, was part of cast the first time it came through Appleton, and said she is excited to return. She's been a part of "Hamilton" since 2017.
Sese said "Hamilton" is a special show to her; in fact, it's what brought her back to the world of Broadway after years away.
Sese's theater resume includes the 2009 Broadway revival of "Hair;" the 2012 Off-Broadway productions "Dogfight" and "Carrie;" the 2006 Chicago run of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and a stint in "Mamma Mia!" in Las Vegas. But in fall 2012, Sese said she took a step back from performing in musical theater after feeling like there were not many roles left for her. She moved away from New York the following year.
"I was on Broadway, I did Off-Broadway, I've been in New York for a while. And I honestly had felt this very palpable ceiling on my head," Sese said "I was really frustrated about not being able to be in control of how I was being seen, or what I was being seen for, and just kind of felt like I had experienced it and knew what it was, and I was ready to go."
Then, Sese said, she saw "Hamilton." The musical, which premiered in 2015, was groundbreaking for its cast's racial diversity, showcasing people who have been instrumental to the foundation of the United States but for centuries were largely eliminated from the historical narrative. The show's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who cast himself as Alexander Hamilton in the original production, has said he began writing his own musicals in college after realizing there were limited roles he could play as a Puerto Rican man.
"I've always kind of felt like musical theater is a particularly American art form, and ... a lot of that source material is based on history. And in history, you have the erasure of a lot of people of color," Sese said. "Anytime there's a piece — a historical piece, especially — being an Asian American, more often than not we are left out of that narrative entirely. So the reclamation of this historical narrative, through actors of color is so, so special and meaningful to me."
Sese said she moved back to New York in 2017 to audition for "Hamilton," and she booked the gig. Since then, she has been with the show on tour around the country and on an extended run in Los Angeles, as an ensemble member and understudy for the three Schuyler sisters, a standby, and now, as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds.
"Hamilton" has paved the way in recent years for other shows to similarly embrace diverse casting, Sese said. She said she is "super, super passionate" about the show, and appreciates that she has been able to experience different roles in the musical.
"It's also rare to be in a show as an adult woman that I can continue to be relevant and ... you know, I'm not aging out of the show. I'm only growing deeper and deeper along with the show."
Tickets to "Hamilton" were highly coveted in the show's first years on Broadway and on tour. Since then, access to the show has expanded. In 2020, a video of the live show with the original Broadway cast premiered on Disney+, allowing audiences everywhere access to the musical.
Still, Sese said, seeing the live show is an experience unlike anything else.
"What I tell people all the time is, whether you've listened to the album before, whether you've seen the Disney+ (show), seeing it live is an entirely different experience. And I truly believe that this show, every ... technical element, every department, is a masterpiece, it's at its upmost, finest craftsmanship," Sese said. "So to see all of those things come together on stage, there's nothing like that."
Tickets for "Hamilton" start at $79 plus fees. They can be purchased online through Ticketmaster, or by phone at 800-982-2787 or through the Fox Cities PAC ticket office in-person or by phone at 920-730-3760. The PAC ticket office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
RELATED: 'Hamilton' again makes history: October run was a record-breaker for the Fox Cities PAC
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: 'Hamilton' returns to Fox Cities PAC Tuesday for 2-week run
