It was July 2015. Most people hadn’t heard a single note of a hip-hop musical about a Treasury Secretary. Then, the Public Theater transfer hit the Richard Rodgers Theatre and everything just... exploded. You couldn’t get a ticket for less than a month’s rent, and suddenly, everyone was obsessed with the original cast of Hamilton. It wasn't just a group of actors; it felt like a lightning strike in a bottle that the industry has been trying to bottle up again for a decade. Honestly? It hasn't really happened since.
Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t just write a show; he curated a specific chemistry that made the "Hamil-fam" a cultural juggernaut. We're talking about a lineup so deep that even the ensemble members were becoming household names.
The Room Where It Happened: Breaking Down the Core Lineup
The magic of the original cast of Hamilton starts with the man himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda. But if we’re being real, he was arguably the third or fourth best singer on that stage. He knew it, too. That’s why he surrounded himself with powerhouses. Leslie Odom Jr., who played Aaron Burr, brought this twitchy, brilliant, simmering resentment to the role that won him a Tony. People forget that Burr is technically the protagonist of the show—the narrator who survives. Odom Jr. played him with a precision that made "Wait For It" the emotional heartbeat of the entire production.
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Then you had Daveed Diggs. Imagine being asked to play the fastest-rapping Frenchman in history (Lafayette) and then a flamboyant, purple-suited Thomas Jefferson in the second act. Diggs was a rapper from Oakland before this; he wasn't a "theater kid" in the traditional sense, and that edge is exactly what the show needed. He won a Tony for his trouble and basically wrote the blueprint for how to play those roles. Nobody has done the "Cabinet Battle" quite like him since.
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler delivered what most critics consider the hardest-working five minutes on Broadway during "Satisfied." The technicality required to rap that fast while maintaining a belt that could shatter glass is... well, it's rare. She was the anchor of the Schuyler sisters, alongside Phillipa Soo (Eliza) and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy/Maria Reynolds).
The "Other" Guys Who Made the Show
Christopher Jackson played George Washington with a literal gravity that made you want to stand up in your seat every time he walked on stage. He’d been working with Lin since In the Heights, and that brotherhood showed. And don't get me started on Jonathan Groff. He had the easiest job and the hardest job. He only spent about nine minutes total on stage as King George III, but he stole every single scene he was in. He spat on the front row (literally) and the audience loved him for it.
Anthony Ramos played John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. He brought a raw, youthful energy that made the "Stay Alive (Reprise)" scene actually physically painful to watch. The way that cast breathed together during the silent moments—that's what made the original cast of Hamilton untouchable. You can see it in the Disney+ pro-shot. They aren't just hitting marks; they're reacting to each other's sweat and tears.
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Why the Original Cast of Hamilton Can’t Really Be Replicated
People ask why subsequent casts, while talented, don't feel the "same." It’s not just nostalgia. It’s the workshop process. This group spent years—literally years—developing these characters at the 52nd Street Project and the Public Theater. By the time they got to Broadway, they weren't "acting" the roles; the roles were written for their specific voices and cadences.
- Vocal Writing: Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the part of Eliza specifically for Phillipa Soo’s "soprano-meets-R&B" range.
- The Rap Factor: Daveed Diggs and Christopher Jackson brought authentic hip-hop and soul textures that many classically trained theater actors struggle to mimic without sounding like they're doing a "bit."
- The Chemistry: Most of these people were genuine friends before the show became a global phenomenon. You can't fake that "Founding Fathers" camaraderie.
Where Are They Now? Life After the Revolution
Life after 2016 has been a wild ride for the original cast of Hamilton. Some stayed in the theater world, but most took over Hollywood.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton)
He’s basically a Disney legend now. Between Moana, Encanto, and directing Tick, Tick... Boom!, he’s one Oscar away from an EGOT. He’s the face of the brand, but he’s shifted more into producing and songwriting than being center stage.
Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr)
He went on to do Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and earned an Oscar nomination for One Night in Miami.... He also released several jazz albums. He’s carved out a niche as one of the most sophisticated leading men in the business.
Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson)
If you haven't seen Blindspotting, go watch it. He wrote and starred in it, and it's a masterpiece. He also voiced Sebastian in the live-action Little Mermaid and starred in the Snowpiercer TV series. He’s kept that "coolest guy in the room" vibe alive.
Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton)
She stayed true to the stage for a long time, starring in Amélie and Into the Woods. She also did The Pharisee on the big screen. She’s widely considered one of the premier leading ladies of her generation.
Ariana DeBose (The Bullet/Ensemble)
Wait, did you know she was in the original cast? She was the "Bullet"—the ensemble member who personified death. She went on to win an Oscar for West Side Story. It just goes to show how stacked the talent was, even in the background.
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The Impact on Broadway and Beyond
Before the original cast of Hamilton, Broadway was in a bit of a rut. It was all movie adaptations and jukebox musicals. This show proved that you could do something original, something diverse, and something musically challenging while still making a billion dollars.
It changed the "color-blind casting" conversation into a "color-conscious" one. Seeing a Black man as George Washington or a person of Latino descent as Alexander Hamilton wasn't just a gimmick; it was a statement about who gets to tell the story of America. The original cast bore the weight of that statement. They were the ones doing the interviews, facing the backlash from people who didn't "get it," and eventually winning over the world.
The Disney+ Effect and the Legacy of the Pro-Shot
We are incredibly lucky that Thomas Kail (the director) filmed the original cast of Hamilton in June 2016, just before the core members started leaving. Usually, when a cast moves on, their performances live only in the memories of the people who were in the room. This recording preserved the "OG" magic forever.
It’s actually a bit of a double-edged sword. Every actor who plays these roles now has to compete with the definitive version that is available to stream 24/7. How do you play Burr when everyone has Leslie Odom Jr.'s performance memorized? It’s a challenge for new actors, but for us, it's a gift. We get to see the sweat on their brows and the spit in their mouths. We get to see the way Renée Elise Goldsberry's eyes well up during "It's Quiet Uptown."
Real-World Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking to capture some of that original cast of Hamilton energy in your own life or creative work, there are a few things you can actually learn from them. It wasn't just luck.
- Work with your friends. The trust between the cast was the result of a decade of collaboration. Build your "crew" before you build your "project."
- Lean into your weirdness. Daveed Diggs didn't try to sound like a Broadway singer. He sounded like Daveed Diggs. That's why he won the Tony. Authenticity beats "perfection" every time.
- Know when to let go. Most of the cast left within a year of the show opening. They knew the "moment" was captured, and they moved on to build their own legacies. Don't get stuck in your own greatest hits.
The original cast of Hamilton isn't just a list of names. It’s a moment in time when the right people met the right script at the exact right moment in history. You can watch the show a thousand times with a thousand different casts, and it’s still a great show. But that original group? They were the ones who built the house. Everyone else is just living in it.
To really appreciate the depth of what they did, go back and watch the Disney+ version, but don't watch the person who's singing. Watch the people in the background. Watch the ensemble. Watch the way they move as one unit. That’s where the real secret of Hamilton lies. It’s in the collective.
What to do next:
- Watch the "Hamilton's America" documentary. It’s on PBS/various streaming sites and shows the actual footage of the cast visiting the White House and researching their roles. It adds a whole new layer to their performances.
- Listen to the "In the Heights" cast recording. You'll hear the early versions of the chemistry between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson.
- Follow the ensemble members. People like Thayne Jasperson or Ephraim Sykes are still doing incredible work. The stars are great, but the ensemble was the engine.