Hamilaria, "the uncontrollable urge to sing lyrics from the hit musical Hamilton when prompted by cue lines from everyday conversation," is no joke. Just this morning my wife said the word "downtown," and it was enough to launch me into several lines of "It's Quiet Uptown."
(Yeah, "downtown" and "uptown" are totally different words. That's how bad this disease is.)
There's no cure, but a group of Dallas actors and filmmakers want to help you manage your Hamilaria with a hilarious infomercial about the disease. Just in time for the Tony Awards!
Rob McCollum wrote and directed the short video (based on a concept by Kristin McCollum) after his daughter Manon got obsessed with Hamilton last year, followed by other members of his family. "Like OBSESSED obsessed," he told me over e-mail. They saw it live in February, and he says it surpassed their expectations. "Truly the most powerful theatrical experience I have ever had (on stage or in the audience)."
After they had the concept of a fake institution for Hamilton addiction, they reached out to fellow actors and singers who were as into the musical as they were. McCollum says he hired a director of photography and sound man, but everybody else was a volunteer. They also got people to donate the use of equipment and sound mixing.
The cast includes several actors who are currently performing in shows around D-FW. To name a few, Kristin McCollum is in The Thrush and the Woodpecker, Gregory Lush is in Mothers and Sons and Jessica Cavanagh is in Outside Mullingar.
And to keep it strong as a family project, Rob McCollum's daught Manon sings the John Laurens bit from "Aaron Burr, Sir" while his other daughter Lily is the one performing the Lafayette rap at the end.
The video will also be shown at the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson Sunday night during the Tony Awards watch party.
