“Hello, good afternoon po, mga kababayan!” Rachelle Ann Go exclaimed before answering the first question asked during the press conference yesterday for Hamilton, the award-winning and groundbreaking Broadway musical that’s making its Asian premiere starting in Manila this September.
Go plays Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, the wife of the titular character Alexander Hamilton, who’s one of the founding fathers of the United States.
“It’s nice to be home,” said the homegrown star, who’s now based in the United Kingdom.
Playing Eliza before fellow Filipinos “is a dream-come-true for me,” said Go. “I was actually telling some of my friends that back in 2017, when I did this role in the West End, I had a feeling that Hamilton would be coming to the Philippines.”
“For some reason,” she added, “I just had that vision. I told myself, ‘I’m gonna do this role in the Philippines.’ Here I am doing it in front of our kababayan, and also to be home and be with my family, so isang pangarap ko ito.”
Go noted that this is the best time for her to perform Eliza in the Philippines as she’s already learned how to let go and just enjoy.
“Six years ago, I was struggling doing the show,” she admitted. “Then I started enjoying it on my second year. And now that I’ve done the show, I can finally enjoy it.”
The 37-year-old actress-singer has also grown so much these past years. “I believe I was totally a different person back then. Now, I’m a mom of two.”
That’s why she now gets so affected by the scene involving the death of the Hamilton couple’s oldest son Philip. “Because now I don’t have to dig deeper before I approach the scene. I can be in that moment and feel all the feels, all the emotions because I know now how to be a mom. I know how a mom feels like.”
She also admitted maturing as a performer: “Before, it’s all about, ‘Oh, I need to sing this song perfectly. I need to hit the right notes. Now it’s not about that. It’s about telling the story, sharing what it is.”
Thus, she wants the audience to get the musical’s message: “We’re all like speck of a dust in this crazy world, and why not make a mark? Be something. Ask yourself what is your calling, what is your purpose in life.”
When asked about performing more in the Philippines, Go gave a knowing smile. “You know, Filipinos are very polite. I had to explain that they have to wait until the end of the number to give applause, which is amazing. I was watching and they’re like… But into it, absorbing every single word. Just to see their faces in awe makes my heart jump. As a Filipino seeing my kababayan enjoy and having fun, it’s amazing!”
Go, who started out in local showbiz as a pop star, shared this observation: “In the Philippines, there’s a notion that if it’s theater, medyo quiet the audience, right? Everyone agrees. If it’s a concert scene, then I guess you’re allowed to be loud. [This one] Yes, it’s hip-hop, it’s rap, you can sing, but not too loud”
— eliciting laughter from the press
— “but you can jam with us.”
After opening last 21 September at The Theater in Solaire, Hamilton will have its gala night tomorrow and will go on running until November this year.
Joining Go in the main cast are Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton, DeAundre’ Woods as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler and Darnell Abraham as George Washington.