Original cast member from "Hamilton" reacts to Disney+ release

Saturday, May 16, 2020
Original cast member from "Hamilton" reacts to Disney+ release
Ariana Debose, who played the Bullet in "Hamilton", is just as excited as you are for the release of the original show filmed in June 2016 that is set to drop on Disney+ on July 3.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- "Hamilton" is coming to Disney+ on July 3rd.

It was announced on Good Morning America this week that the original version of the production created by Lin-Manuel Miranda will be available this summer.

Original cast member and Wake Forest native Ariana Debose, who played "The Bullet" in the show, can't wait.

"I'm personally very thrilled that so many people will be able to see theater in a different way," she said. "It's definitely not the stage experience but it's the next best thing. I think people need art in any way they can get it."

The role in "Hamilton" catapulted Ariana to others on Broadway including one in "A Bronx Tale" and "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical".

She's also been in several movies. Most recently she was in Steven Spielberg's production of "West Side Story."

"I'm still the same nerd I was then," Ariana said, referring to her days as a student at Wake Forest High School. "I haven't changed."

Her mom is still teaching history at Wakefield Middle School.

"You really can have a life in the arts and it will be challenging but every once in a while something like a 'Hamilton' will come along," she said.

She recognizes it's even more challenging right now given everything on Broadway in New York is closed. Not only that, but many actors in New York rely on other jobs in the restaurant industry and those have gone dark too.

"Even though the date keeps getting pushed back, the reality is it could be pushed back even further," Ariana said. "It's scary because I count myself lucky to have been in so many Broadway shows in such a short time but that's not the norm."

The traveling performance of "Hamilton" is supposed to be at the Durham Performing Arts Center in December.

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