Marc delaCruz pushes for AAPI Representation as he became the first Asian-American to portray Alexander Hamilton on Broadway's hit Hamilton. Now that Broadway is back for the time since the pandemic, Marc reprises his character as the Founding Father. He is of Filipinio-Japanese descent and first took the spotlight in this role in 2019.
Playing opposite of him is Jin Ha as Aaron Burr, a Korean-American. AAPI excellence is on the rise and they're here to show the next generation that they're capable of doing it too.
Marc went from joining the Broadway cast at Richard Rodgers Theatre as an ensemble member to the lead role. In addition to the title role, he is the understudy for Philip Hamilton, John Laurens and King George, and covers the roles of Philip Schuyler / Doctor / James Reynolds. His Playbill shows that Marc has had 20 roles to date in the productions of Hamilton and If/Then.
His first “big break” came as a sophomore in college at the University of Washington, when Northwest Asian American Theatre cast delaCruz as Matt in The Fantasticks. It was his first large-scale performance, but was on stage for the first time at 9 years old. He was casted in a production of A Christmas Carol at ACT Theatre in Seattle.
Even after the production of Hamilton ends, Marc plans to stay in New York. If you're in the NYC area, let us know if you check out the production. We want to know your experience, tweet us at @myxnews!
Cover Photo Credit: Marc delaCruz Facebook
The show has been extended through Wednesday, July 28 due to its overwhelming response and is available to stream now on Broadway On Demand.
CollaborAzian’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder premiered last week on Broadway On Demand to wide success. The all-Asian American production of the Tony Award winning musical set to benefit the work of Stop AAPI Hate and has raised over $25,000 to date.
Historically, Asian American artists have been marginalized in media and on stage, and productions like this help to spotlight the tremendous talent that has been overlooked. We’re here to show the world that we are here, and we are fantastic.
LEA SALONGA, TONY AWARD WINNER AND HOST
The success of the production supports the demand for Asian American led shows on stage and the virtual show has been extended through Wednesday, July 28th on Broadway On Demand. CollaborAzian plans to produce more shows in the future to highlight Asian American talent in theater.
"I loved this performance of "A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE", I just loved it. I am enormously proud that this was the vehicle to raise money and support for such a great cause,” says Steven Lutvak, Co-Lyricist and Composer of the original Broadway production. “Brilliant performances, a beautifully crafted evening and a total delight. I hope to see more Asian American led productions like this in the future."
Violence and hate toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have become more common since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate have emerged to help communities unite against racism.
Collecting data is critical in the fight to end anti-Asian racism as it helps us tell the broader story of this issue...
STOP AAPI HATE COALITION
“Once we can tell the story through data, we can create and implement community and policy solutions to help address it — and tell a new story: a story of resilience, says Stop AAPI Hate Coalition. We honor AAPI-led creative groups, such as CollaborAzian, for helping tell these new stories.”
About CollaborAzian’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
CollaborAzian’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder will be helmed by theatre and television director Alan Muraoka, who has played Alan, the owner of Hooper's Store on Sesame Street for the past 23 years. He most recently played Iago in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, and starred as the Engineer in Miss Saigon. The all-Asian American cast will star Cindy Cheung (13 Reasons Why), Karl Josef Co (Pacific Overtures), Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom of the Opera), Diane Phelan (School of Rock), and Thom Sesma (Sweeney Todd). Steven Cuevas (Once On This Island) serves as music director.
Producers include Jeremiah Abraham (Sony Pictures’ Yellow Rose, ARRAY’s Lingua Franca), Karl Josef Co, Ariel Estrada (Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Leviathan Lab), Rob Laqui (The Industry Standard Group, Cardinal Theatricals), Diane Phelan, Pearl Sun (Come From Away), Anne Fraser Thomas (Hercules), Jessica Wu (A Chorus Line, Miss Saigon), and Miranda Gohh. Executive Producers include Elliot and Cathy Masie (Masie Productions) and Matthew A Woolf (Woolf Productions LLC).
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder won four Tony Awards at the 68th Tony Awards in 2014, including Best Musical.
About Broadway On Demand
Broadway On Demand is the industry-leading livestream platform housing performance & theatre education programming, & the preferred choice of top Broadway artists, producers, educators & professionals. Broadway On Demand has streamed 2,500 events & live productions – from Broadway shows to concert series, performance venues to individual artists, & original content – in 82 countries to over 300,000 viewers. Thanks to a unique licensing interface, ShowShare, approved middle school, high school, college, community & professional theatre productions utilize the platform to stream to their audiences. Broadway on Demand is available on the web, mobile, Apple and Android app store, AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV. For access to the complete and ever-expanding Broadway on Demand library, subscribe at BroadwayOnDemand.com.
Cover Photo Credit: Tremendous Communications
Tony Award Winner and Disney Legend Lea Salonga will make a special appearance as the host of CollaborAzian’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder on July 15th, 2021. The abridged version of Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak's musical is directed by Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka and features an all-Asian American cast and production team. Donations for StopAAPIHate.org are now being accepted and tickets for the virtual show are now available.
“Historically, Asian American artists have been marginalized in media and on stage… productions like this help to spotlight the tremendous talent that has been overlooked. “We're here to show the world that we are here, and we are fantastic.”
LEA SALONGA
The production has generated much excitement in the theater community, announcing an exclusive streaming partnership with Broadway On Demand and promotional partnership with Broadway World.
Along with the increased demand for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in Hollywood, the AAPI Broadway and theatrical communities are also making their voices heard. Organizations such as the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) Broadway Diversity Project, Unapologetically Asian, Leviathan Labs, Chinosity, and Tremendous Communications have also come together in support of the production.
“Broadway On Demand is committed to celebrating diversity and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. It is an honor to partner with CollaborAzian in bringing this incredible production the attention it deserves.”
TRALEN DOLER, BROADWAY ON DEMAND VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS
About CollaborAzian’s A Gentelman’s Guide to Love and Murder
CollaborAzian’s A Gentelman’s Guide to Love and Murder will be helmed by theatre and television director Alan Muraoka, who has played Alan, the owner of Hooper's Store on Sesame Street for the past 23 years. He most recently played Iago in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, and starred as the Engineer in Miss Saigon. The all-Asian American cast will star Cindy Cheung (13 Reasons Why), Karl Josef Co (Pacific Overtures), Ali Ewoldt (The Phantom of the Opera), Diane Phelan (School of Rock), and Thom Sesma (Sweeney Todd). Steven Cuevas (Once On This Island) serves as music director.
Producers include Jeremiah Abraham (Sony Pictures’ Yellow Rose, ARRAY’s Lingua Franca), Co, Ariel Estrada (Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Leviathan Lab), Rob Laqui (The Industry Standard Group, Cardinal Theatricals), Phelan, Pearl Sun (Come From Away), Anne Fraser Thomas (Hercules), Jessica Wu (A Chorus Line, Miss Saigon), and Miranda Gohh. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder won four Tony Awards at the 68th Tony Awards in 2014, including Best Musical.
About Broadway On Demand
Broadway On Demand is the industry-leading livestream platform housing performance & theatre education programming, & the preferred choice of top Broadway artists, producers, educators & professionals. Broadway On Demand has streamed 2,500 events & live productions – from Broadway shows to concert series, performance venues to individual artists, & original content – in 82 countries to over 300,000 viewers. Thanks to a unique licensing interface, ShowShare, approved middle school, high school, college, community & professional theatre productions utilize the platform to stream to their audiences. Broadway on Demand is available on the web, mobile, Apple and Android app store, AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV. For access to the complete and ever-expanding Broadway on Demand library, subscribe at BroadwayOnDemand.com.
Cover Photo Credit: Tremendous Communications
