Overview
You might reasonably assume that taking the spotlight in front of an adoring audience would be the number-one perk of the job for a performer, particularly if they happen to be headlining one of the biggest musical theatre blockbusters in living memory. However, for Vidya Makan, who is currently appearing as Eliza Schuyler in the final Australian season of global megahit Hamilton, it's the moments she's not on stage that mean the most.
"What I get to do as Eliza every night is an honour and a joy. But honestly, more often than not, It's actually just watching the incredible talent of my cast mates and the genius of everyone involved with this show that I most love," she shares. "Everyone in this company is the best in the world at what they do. And every night I get a front-row ticket to see some of our nation's and the world's best artists in action."
Kate Williams
It's been almost a decade since the original cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip hop-driven history play about the meteoric rise and ultimately tragic fall of American founding father Alexander Hamilton first shook the bedrock of Broadway. And for almost a decade, Makan has been listening to that original cast's recording of the Grammy, Olivier, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning show. While she admits this helped her learn her lyrics (given most of the show was already thoroughly committed to memory), being a Hamilton superfan has also posed some challenges.
"After getting cast, I stopped listening to the original recording. I didn't watch any other reference videos — I needed to forget everything I already knew," she explains. "The most important thing for me is that I bring my own version to a character. So I read the Ron Chernow book that the musical is based on to try and find as many clues as I could to the essence of who this real woman was. She's described as vivacious. She used to put the boys to the test when she was a kid. She'd go hiking up mountains without the help of gentlemen, unlike the women around her, and I think it's that aspect of her that I really relate to.
Kate Williams
"Crafting my Eliza, I wanted to make her really forthright and lean away from the idea of her as someone who just let's things happen. She's this incredibly courageous woman and I think that is very much reflected in her generosity. I certainly learn from her every night I get to play her."
Beyond this research, Makan's account of Eliza also shifts depending on the actors she's appearing opposite — particularly the titular leading man. "I find it really exciting when we have different Hamiltons on — it changes my character and that's a really, really wonderful thing," she says. "If you come to see the show you get to see an understudy, count yourself lucky, because they really bring it — it actually elevates everyone's performance and brings new magic to the world of the show as well."
Kate Williams
In the majority of performances, however, Makan stars alongside Jason Arrow, who has delivered the title role since Hamilton first premiered in Australia in March 2021. "He's been playing this part for almost four years — that's like doing an undergraduate degree," Makan jests.
"When I'm creating my Eliza, I'm working off someone who knows their Hamilton so intimately and as an actor, you don't often get that privilege. One of the first things Jason said to me was, 'Please don't feel like you have to fit into what we've created. I'm really excited to meet your Eliza and to see what that does to my Hamilton.' I think that generosity is reflected everywhere in this cast. And that's really what makes this particular production something you will never see again. It's so special, that dynamic and every night it's why it's so charged and electric and nuanced."
Daniel Boud
Much like the handful of talented artists who have had the opportunity to portray Eliza in various productions around the world, Makan is an astonishing performer. But her skillset also shares a unique synergy with Hamilton's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who in addition to composing the show, also starred in its original production in the title role. Makan, who trained in musical theatre at Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, is also a composer who starred in her own debut show, The Lucky Country, which received broad acclaim when it premiered at Sydney's Hayes Theatre in June 2023.
"Every night [performing in Hamilton] is a masterclass for me. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm here to perform on stage but it's hard to stop analysing the whole genius of the thing," she says. "We've done over 100 shows now in Sydney, but even now I'll be lying in bed and I'll have a line going through my mind and something new will suddenly reveal itself. You never stop learning from this show — that's why it truly is one of the greatest of all time."
Daniel Boud
Hamilton is playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre until January 25. Head to the Hamilton website for more details.
Top image: Daniel Boud