Filipinos continue to bring pride to the country from all around the world, this time in the field of theatre arts as Marc dela Cruz has recently been casted as “Alexander Hamilton”, the lead role for the hit Broadway Musical “Hamilton”.
His Filipino roots stem from his Father, Roy dela Cruz, while his mother Rochelle was born in Hawaii from a mixed race. Marc shares through an interview with The FilAm that his dad was a soldier and a survivor of the Bataan Death March who immigrated to America after the events of the Second World War. Marc then furthers that it was his mother who influenced him to try theatre. “My mother felt it was important to expose her children to as much culture and art as possible,” said Marc.
With his Japanese-Filipino roots and a rich experience of acting as he played roles on the same musical as King George, John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, he made his debut as the third Filipino-American on Broadway following the steps of Christina Glur and Karla Puno Garcia as per a report from When in Manila.
“I am FILLED WITH GRATITUDE for the creators and originators of Hamilton. It’s an honor to help share this astoundingly crafted and important piece of theater,” said Marc on his post on Instagram.
Here’s his entire message:
Hamilton has long been known to celebrate diversity as it shares the story that America was built through the hard work of immigrants. Continuing that train of thought, the musical had always casted people of color for all their roles, but it was Marc dela Cruz who landed the role as the first Asian-American and subsequently, the first Filipino to play the role of Alexander Hamilton.
Here’s a glimpse of Marc dela Cruz’s prowess in acting in another act that Lea Salonga used to star in, “Paradise” from Allegiance:
