How to Make a ‘Hamilton’ Parody

Songwriters

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After seeing Hamilton when it was at The Public Theater and then following its subsequent command of the cultural zeitgeist, Gerard Alessandrini knew he had to get to work.

But the godfather of , the playful series of theatrical parodies which began in 1982, also knew that his new show would be different.

Hamilton was the cure for his blues. For well over a year, both the musical itself and Lin-Manuel Miranda, its creator and star, have been impossible to ignore. As Alessandrini says, “There was so much there to spoof.”

Thus, he has created Spamilton, which is now playing at the Triad.

The five cast members often go behind the set for quick changes, but “it all keeps flowing, which is like Hamilton,” he adds. The choreography by Gerry McIntyre echoes the kinetic moves of Andy Blankenbuehler’s work on the original, and Fred Barton, the show’s pianist and musical director, keeps the energy high.

(Well, almost. The show opens with President and Michelle Obama going to bed and putting on the cast recording. And the ending spoofs Barbra Streisand giving Miranda the Tony while singing “I wanna be in the film when it happens.”)

Yet for all this, Spamilton is not just about Hamilton

It’s unclear what those legends might think about their appearance in Spamilton, but Miranda himself was in the audience early in the run. After the show, he went backstage, congratulated the performers, and gave Alessandrini and the cast prime tickets to Hamilton.

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Follow Frank Rizzo at @ShowRiz. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.

Photos by Carol Rosegg. Top photo: Dan Rosales (center) and the cast of ‘Spamilton’.

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FRANK RIZZO