'Telling his story': Hamilton actor talks show's appeal ahead of Lubbock run

Critically acclaimed musical Hamilton will soon make its Lubbock debut, and the actor performing the title role says he's eager to share the show's unique spin on history with a West Texas audience.

The two-week engagement, featuring 16 performances, will run July 19-30 at the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts & Sciences and tickets are still available.

Blaine Alden Krauss, a veteran actor taking on the lead role of Alexander Hamilton for the first week of Lubbock shows, said he is honored to be rejoining the national tour where he previously was the standby for Hamilton/Aaron Burr.

The 31-year-old, a native of Tampa Bay, Florida, spoke with the Avalanche-Journal last week, sharing the excitement he and his fellow cast members have for bringing the show to a new audience in Lubbock. He was fresh off a two-performance day in El Paso, another city that, like Lubbock, hadn't yet hosted Hamilton, and Krauss said he enjoyed feeding off the energy from an audience experiencing the show for the first time.

Krauss said he particularly enjoys being able to help share a part of history that many may have been familiar with through text books, but that's brought to life through powerful lyrics, storytelling and music in the Pulitzer-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education, according to a description provided by the American Theatre Guild, which is presenting the show. Tickets for the show are still available. BroadwayAtBuddyHollyHall.com, BuddyHollyHall.com and The Buddy Holly Hall Box Office are the only official sources for tickets.

Blaine Alden Krauss on Hamilton, history and more

Krauss' Broadway credits include roles in "The Great Comet of 1812," "Kinky Boots," and "The Cher Show."

Along with playing Hamilton, Burr and King George III in Hamilton, he also has performed as Simba in a touring production of Disney's "The Lion King," among other roles on the road.

Here's more of what Krauss shared with the A-J ahead of this month's shows. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A-J: Compared to other characters in the show, much of Alexander Hamilton's dialogue comes through rapping. How did that work with your skillsets?

Krauss: "It's funny you say that, because in my auditions when the show originally came out in 2016, I kind of undersold myself as far as getting into the show because I'm biracial and hip-hop is part of my culture, very much a part of my upbringing. But I also know my strong suit and my ministry and I'm much more suited as a singer. I've been singing my entire life. I'm in the generation of American Idol so I thought that was going to be my route. So getting to do a show that has this much rapping in it is a challenge - and it's exciting. But it's great material. Like, when a song is really good it just speaks to you. It's been fun ... I definitely love getting to give the vocals kind of a little bit of a break. Because I've been in a lot of professional Broadway my whole entire life and I've been really blessed that I've been able to do a lot of really great shows up to this point. So kind of putting that on the back burner and just kind of letting it be about text and be about rhythm is exciting. It's different. It's fun."

A-J: How did you get your start in musical theater?

Krauss: "I grew up doing music. Singing was my entryway into art. I'd been going to performing arts school since elementary school - was very fortunate to have a very supportive family who recognized early that was my passion. And theater came as kind of an accident because I was trying to figure out what I was going to study in school. They have a lot of contemporary music programs today, but back when I was growing up if you wanted to be a singer you probably had to be in a choir. And I wasn't wanting to do that type of music. I was wanting to do the type of music that I'm hearing in Hamilton. So I'm hearing musicals and all sorts of music that probably influenced (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and probably got him into theater. And I was thinking, 'That kind of sounds like music my family listens to - like music at the cookout.' So I went into that and I've been doing it ever since middle school and high school ... and I've just been hitting the ground running ever since then."

A-J: How do you keep up with your health, fitness and mental wellbeing while you're touring?

Krauss: "I'm a huge proponent for keeping the body together. But even more than the body, the mind ... I definitely find a gym in every city. If you've seen the show or know the show, you probably know it's three hours of an epic tale, so it takes a lot of energy and a lot of stamina to be able to keep up with it. So I work out daily. I have a trainer who kind of specializes in training actors as athletes. I'm a huge proponent of therapy and I go to therapy weekly. Just all the things that keep the body sound and at peace - especially when you're changing cities, changing venues, seeing different people, not seeing family for a good chunk of time."

A-J: What does your workout typically entail?

Krauss: "I do a lot of weight lifting. Our ensemble is made of, probably, some of the best dancers New York City has to offer. So, I know who people who do CrossFit, there are people who only Spin. Everyone has their different thing. For me, personally, I'm more of a weightlifter but also tons of cardio. I'm a jump roper. I do jump roping in my dressing room before the show."

A-J: With many already familiar with the original cast's soundtrack and seeing the show through live streaming on Disney+, how do you give Hamilton your own unique spin?

Krauss: "So many people have such a love for the show, and a love for that original cast, as they should. And, of course, being able to have it captured on Disney+, that's cemented it into everyone's mind. So, I don't ever feel like I'm swimming up a creek, but I'm very much aware that the audience definitely is coming into the show with a strong visual of what it's going to be. But what's great about the show - it's a Pulitzer-prize winning piece of drama. And one of the reasons that it's so popular among society is that everyone can see themselves in it ... so as an actor, because of that, that means when I step into the role, I'm not trying to imitate anybody. There's such freedom for me to just bring who I am and my background and the things that I have in common with Hamilton to the stage. I'm a biracial kid. My mom's African-American, my dad's white. So I very much feel like I stand in the crux of a lot of the social/societal stuff that we deal with in America and I like bringing that into the piece. It's a fun, I wouldn't say challenge, but it's a fun assignment every day of saying, 'Who is this guy? What am I bringing tonight?'"

A-J: Have you found yourself learning more about Hamilton and Burr and that important period in American history?

Krauss: "I think what's great about the piece is, we know everything historically and educationally about Hamilton and Burr. You can look in a textbook and find out when they were born, what they did. Hamilton built the banking system in this country. And you can learn all those technical things. But what's fun on my end is I get to explore that emotional side. I get to explore, you know, 'Why is this man so brilliant in creating a financial system, but he's not so brilliant in the family and love area.' What is his Achilles' heel when it comes to relationships that causes him to eclipse his own success? Try to get that different, more emotional side of the characters. That's what I'm trying to achieve ... I can't tell you why Hamilton made some of the wrong choices that he made, but I can do my best to try to express his hunger and his need for advancing, so that when he does make his mistakes, you as an audience member can say, 'Oh, I see that journey. I can see why he moved the way he did.'"

A-J: Having performed in several Hamilton roles, are there any songs that stand out to you more?

Krauss: "I love, for Hamilton specifically, 'My Shot' - easily one of my favorites. Lyrically it's genius. Lin is so incredible. And also what Hamilton is saying. A lot of people, obviously, listen to the album. But I tell people who are true fans: 'Well, you've listened to it, now go read it - go read these words because you'll really feel the impact when you take in what Hamilton is saying about the country and take in what he's saying about his broken childhood, why he's so hungry and why he's willing to do anything to get where he's going.' So lyrically probably is 'My Shot,' but 'Wait For It' is probably my favorite song of the whole show. It's an incredible song. It sounds like it can be on the radio every day. And then same thing - waiting to hear Burr and understand what he's going through, what makes him turn and why he's not as aggressive as Hamilton. And then everything else is hilarious and perfect. We have a talented cast that nightly makes me love the material even more."

A-J: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Krauss: "The one thing I always try to say is that what's so great about the piece, and especially for people who don't know it, because this will be our first time in Lubbock, is there's a place for you in this story. There's some angle of you in this piece. If you're living in the U.S. today, no matter what side politically or socioeconomically, there's a place for you in this story."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Hamilton actor Blaine Alden Krauss Q&A before Lubbock shows