Cover Michael Cassel (Photo: Chrissie Moir)
Michael Cassel (Photo: Chrissie Moir)
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The man behind the international tours of acclaimed musicals ‘Les Misérables’, ‘The Lion King’, and more shares about the journey of ‘Hamilton’ to Manila
Having produced shows such as Les Misérables and The Lion King at the Theatre at Solaire in the past, it was a no-brainer for renowned producer Michael Cassel to bring Hamilton to Manila. The thought of mounting an international tour for the critically acclaimed musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda came into Cassel’s mind after Cameron Mackintosh texted him raving about the then-off-Broadway show in 2015. Cassel, hailing from Australia, where he established a credible reputation in the live entertainment industry, flew to New York agog to discover all the fuss about Miranda’s seminal work. To say that he wasted no time to set things in motion for Hamilton’s international tour is putting his admiration for it in an understatement.
Read also: Critically acclaimed musical ‘Hamilton’ arrives on Philippines shores
“Hamilton is an incredible piece of theatre, of storytelling, and the way Lin-Manuel has taken this story of one of the American founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, and contemporise it for the modern audience was mind-blowing,” Cassel comments. “The lyrics that the cast sing night after night have connected with the audience, perhaps because the music and lyrics were well done but more because the story of each of the characters resonated with them.”
For Cassel, Miranda’s masterpiece perfectly combines contemporary musical theatre work and a powerful narrative that resonates with young audiences’ thoughts and feelings.
Above Michael Cassel
Michael Cassel
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Cassel’s passion for the theatre began in his formative childhood years. He admits that back then, he wanted to be a performer—an actor or a singer, perhaps—and so he participated in amateur theatre productions while in school. But when he watched a professional production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the age of 12, he discovered from the souvenir programme that there was such a thing as a producer who was behind the show.
“It really captured my imagination as to what they do behind the show,” says Cassel. “And so I thought, ‘Ah! That must be the coolest job!’ because in reading the programme, I understood that a producer was involved in lots of aspects of making the show come together.”
From that moment on, his heart was set on being a producer.
His eponymous company is a leader in the live entertainment scene, which presents high-calibre musicals and theatrical productions, live entertainment experiences, marquee events, and concert attractions. It was behind the international tour of The Lion King, and the Australian premieres of award-winning productions like Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Romeo & Juliet, and Mary Poppins.
Previous productions include co-lead producer of Almost Famous and co-producer of Into The Woods and Pretty Woman on Broadway, Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Pretty Woman on the West End. In Australia, it has brought Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Singin’ In The Rain, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Concert tours and major events include The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Celeste Barber, Not Now, Not Ever: Live on Stage with Julia Gillard, Tina Arena, Darren Criss and Lea Salonga, along with the opening celebration of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, which was televised internationally.
Read also: Hamilton in Manila 2023 will spark conversations, says cast
“What made us successful as producers and allowed us to produce some of the world’s best shows is our passion,” Cassel says. “We love creating theatre, working with actors to complete the shows together, and I love standing at the back of the theatre watching the audience react to what is being created on the stage.”
The infectious energy synergised by the production, casting, marketing, and public relations teams fuel Cassel’s passion for the work he does and he believes the same thing applies to other producers. This he credits as the reason why Jeffrey Seller, producer of the original Broadway production of Hamilton, trusted his company to collaborate in producing this international tour.
When he is producing shows in Australia, his day starts with many phone calls in the morning from New York because of the time difference. It ranges from conversations with producers about shows they are doing, like Hamilton, for instance, with Seller, to those they want to partner with in the future. Cassel spends the rest of the day in his office for meetings—from casting and tax to merchandise and freighting for set designs. The diversity of what he accomplishes for a single show with the help of his team amazes Cassel even to this day.
For the Manila production of Hamilton, one of the challenges he braved was the large contingent of people from around the world flown into the Philippines. It opens layers of operational and technical challenges, on top of creative challenges like casting and rehearsals to bring this spectacular vision of Miranda to the stage. Another piece in the puzzle is the relationship where GMG Productions and Solaire Resort and Casino come into play.
Aside from ensuring the harmonious coming together of all elements to put Hamilton in Manila into fruition, Cassel is on top of things about risks that might come their way and provides counsel to the creative team in decision-making.
Hamilton has toured Australia, Puerto Rico, and Germany, currently having a North American tour, and is slated to go around the United Kingdom (outside West End). For its new international tour under the Michael Cassel Group, it premiered in Manila on September 17 with a gala performance last September 21, graced by Filipino theatre lovers, workers, celebrities, and more. The next stop is Abu Dhabi in 2024. Cassel assures the public that more locations will be announced in the future.
Running for barely a decade, the early setting out of Hamilton worldwide, compared to other Broadway and West End musicals, attests to the demand of the people to see this masterpiece live and closer to home.
“To put it simply, we love Manila,” says Cassel when asked why the international tour premiered here. Following the success of their international tours of Les Mis and The Lion King, the Manila premiere of Hamilton was easily approved.
“For the first city in our tour, I wanted one that knew would embrace the show and enjoy,” the producer says. He further shares that they came to Manila earlier than they would in other tours to give more time for rehearsal. The opening on Sunday night with rousing applause was a testament to their decision to cater Filipino HamilFans first.
As theatres rise up the curtains in this post-pandemic world, Cassel finds today’s audience having an unquenchable thirst for live entertainment.
“What’s really been gratifying is that audiences are returning, with a great desire to connect with live entertainment, with each other, after spending so much time watching at home with our devices,” Cassel says. “We all want new experiences. Somehow, the lockdowns made us realise how important those live experiences are.”
One of the challenges Cassel sees in today’s theatre industry is the increase in expenses necessary to put on a show. This includes shipping and freighting of sets and costumes. “Everything is getting more expensive and that puts a lot of pressure on managing budgets and the commercial aspect of the shows. This is just one of the challenges that we, producers, are struggling to deal with.”
Cassel shares that the plans for the Manila production of Hamilton began to be discussed as early as 2015. Preparations for it were realised in 2021, which included negotiations with their partners GMG Productions and the Theatre at Solaire. For the past 12 months, the production has been tirelessly working on the sets, costumes, casting, and rehearsing in New York with the original creative team behind it: Lin-Manuel Miranda for the book, music, and lyrics, Thomas Kail for direction, Andy Blankenbuehler for the choreography, and Alex Lacamoire for musical supervision and orchestrations.
The producer takes pride in getting the finest actors from various Hamilton productions. This includes Jason Arrow in the titular role (who starred in the Australian production), Rachelle Ann Go (who originated the role of Eliza Schuyler in the West End production), Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, Darnell Abraham as George Washington, and DeAundre’ Woods as Aaron Burr.
“Good things come to those who wait, and I know Hamilton’s Filipino fans have been waiting patiently for this moment to arrive,” says Cassel. “The Manila audiences during the opening night responded with such warmth, enthusiasm and generosity—we couldn’t be more thrilled. And we are ecstatic to bring the revolution to Asia for the very first time.”
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About
Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
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Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
As head of Tatler Philippines’ pool of writers, he helps them bring impactful and socially relevant stories to light.
For any leads, you may reach him through @franzsorillaiv on Instagram or franz@tatlerphilippines.com via email.
