Daveed Diggs Sets ‘Hamilton’ Departure

In a surprise announcement Wednesday morning, Hamilton lead producer Jeffrey Seller broke the news that Daveed Diggs, who won a Tony Award for his dual role as the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, will abruptly exit the Broadway production Friday.

His unexpected departure follows those of the show’s creator and original lead Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as Phillipa Soo and fellow Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. Diggs made his Broadway debut in Hamilton and has been one of the breakout stars of the original company; it was widely assumed he had renewed his contract to stay on with the show.

Diggs is attached to be featured in HBO’s Tour de Pharmacy, a thinly-veiled parody of Lance Armstrong’s tainted time on the bike. The mockumentary takes a look into the prevalence of doping in the world of professional cycling and hails from Murray Miller and Andy Samberg of 7 Days in Hell. The cast also includes Julia Ormond, Phylicia Rashad, Will Forte, Dolph Lundgren, John Cena, Mike Tyson and Nathan Fielder.

While Hamiltol’s Lafayette and Jefferson are being recast on Broadway, longtime understudies Andrew Chappelle, Austin Smith and Seth Stewart will alternate in the roles.

In other Hamilton news, casting for the upcoming Chicago production is now in place, with Miguel Cervantes, who has appeared on Broadway in If/Then, American Idiot and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, landing the lead role of Alexander Hamilton. In preparation for the role, Cervantes will step into the Broadway production for three performances this month.

Karen Olivo, a Tony winner for the 2009 Broadway revival of West Side Story and an original castmember of Miranda’s breakout musical, In the Heights, will play Angelica Schuyler. The role of King George III will be played by stage veteran Alexander Gemignani, who starred as Jean Valjean in the 2006 revival of Les Miserables and has also appeared on Broadway in Violet, Assassins, Sunday in the Park With George and Sweeney Todd.

The Chicago staging of Hamilton will feature former American Idol contestant Ari Afsar as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, Chris Lee as Lafayette and Jefferson, Joseph Morales as Cervantes’ alternate, Jose Ramos as John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton, Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, and Samantha Marie Ware as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds. Both Lee and Morales are alumni of In the Heights in touring and regional productions.

Casting for the co-lead role of Aaron Burr in Chicago has not yet been announced.

Performances of Hamilton begin Sept. 27 at Chicago’s PrivateBank Theatre, marking the first production of the show beyond New York. A separate touring production kicks off next March in San Francisco, while a London production will also begin in 2017.

Hamilton has been the biggest smash to hit Broadway in decades, winning 11 Tony Awards and selling out for months in advance. The show’s cumulative box office since it began performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 13 last year has hit $88 million.

July 15, 12 p.m. Updated with HBO project.

Daveed Diggs Sets ‘Hamilton’ Departure, Joins Andy Samberg’s HBO Mockumentary

David Rooney

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