Hamilton combines two of my favorite things—musicals and history—into something exceptional. The hip hopera swept the Tonys this year and has made writer/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name. One of the many things that makes Hamilton unique is the choice to cast almost every role with non-white actors, to better show what America looks like now, a diverse ethnic melting pot.

I’m a big history portrait nerd so I was naturally curious as to how the actors from the original Broadway cast compared with their historical figure counterpart.

 

Alexander Hamilton	Lin-Manuel Miranda

 

Aaron Burr	Leslie Odom, Jr.

 

Eliza Schuyler Hamilton	Phillipa Soo

 

Angelica Schuyler Church	Renée Elise Goldsberry

 

Marquis de Lafayette	Daveed Diggs

 

Thomas Jefferson	Daveed Diggs

 

George Washington	Christopher Jackson

 

King George III	Jonathan Groff

 

Peggy Schuyler	Jasmine Cephas Jones

 

John Laurens	Anthony Ramos

 

Philip Hamilton	Anthony Ramos

 

Hercules Mulligan	Okieriete Onaodowan