Whose Hamilton is this, anyway? As correctly predicted by the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones last Thursday, Wayne Brady will be taking on the role of Aaron Burr in the Chicago company of Hamilton, beginning January 17.
Brady, best known for the TV improv series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently as the host of the revived game show Let’s Make a Deal, did a recent stint in the Broadway production of Kinky Boots in the leading role of drag queen Lola; he's also appeared in the Broadway cast of the musical Chicago. Brady replaces two-time Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry, who stunned as Burr when the Chicago company opened last fall; Henry departs to lead the new national touring company, which kicks off in San Francisco in March.
Brady is committed to Hamilton in Chicago through April 9, according to an announcement this afternoon from Broadway in Chicago. He'll join the remaining Chicago principals, including Miguel Cervantes as Alexander Hamilton, Ari Afsar as Eliza Hamilton and Karen Olivo as Angelica Schuyler. Brady is, arguably, the first actor to be cast across Hamilton’s two years and now three companies who is better known for work onscreen than onstage. Hamilton plays the PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago; tickets are currently on sale into September.
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