Lili Froehlich
In case you were living under a rock, Hamilton, the Tony Award-winning musical that’s been one of the hottest tickets on Broadway since 2016, is back at Bass Performance Hall for the second time. We managed to catch up with one of the musical’s cast members, Lili Froehlich, a Fort Worth — or Weatherford, technically — native whose previous credits include Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Cats and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She gave us some tips for first-time Hamilton goers, talked about her hope to someday become a choreographer, and talks about the differences and similarities between Webber and Hamilton’s mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda.
You can catch her at Bass Hall until June 23. You can grab tickets here.
FM: We see you're from Fort Worth. Tell us a little bit about growing up in Cowtown and what it's like coming back for Hamilton.
LF: I am! I am from Weatherford technically, but I grew up doing theater at Casa Mañana, and I went to Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts for middle and high school. I loved growing up here because there is such a rich arts and theatre community! It is rare that the arts are of such value, and I respect that about our town. It is very full circle being back here for Hamilton. I haven’t gotten to perform at the Bass as an adult! The last show I did there was High School Musical back in 2009.
FM: What drew you to Broadway and becoming a musical theatre performer?
LF: My mom was a dancer and she started teaching me how to dance in our kitchen when I could barely walk. I tried many other things (swimming, soccer, gymnastics) but nothing stuck like dance did. I always wanted to dance! So she put me in dance when I was about 4 and then I started performing at Casa when I was 9. I knew I wanted to be on Broadway even when I was a kid and i was privileged that my parents were able to help me make that dream a reality.
FM: We see you've been in both Cats and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As an actor, how would you describe the difference in music and storytelling between an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical?
LF: Hmmm . . . Wow what a good question! I think that both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lin-Manuel Miranda used the popular music styles of their times to write their respective shows and ushered musical theatre into new eras! They were groundbreaking in that way. Story telling wise, they are very different! I mean . . . Cats barely has a plot (which is a highly controversial thing to say, I know) and Hamilton has an extensive and historically based plot.
FM: For those who have yet to see it, why should one attend Hamilton?
LF: I think Hamilton is one of the most important pieces of theatre ever created. Hamilton is a vehicle for people of color to tell the stories of our founding fathers, which is important since at the time they were not only forgotten but also abused by our system (and still are in many ways). It is also about an immigrant who came to this country and literally helped lay its foundation and has been largely forgotten until now. I think Hamilton for today’s generation is meant to show how a myriad of humans from different backgrounds and lineages can come together to tell a story and almost any audience member can find themselves reflected in a character on that stage. It is a story of our society in the past which looked one way made modern by reflecting what society looks like today.
FM: Any tips for Fort Worthians seeing Hamilton for the first time?
LF: Listen to the soundtrack! There are a lot of words, so knowing what is being said is helpful!
FM: Is there a dream role you'd love to play someday? LF: Honestly, not really! My next dream is to be a choreographer, so rather than playing roles I want to help create the visuals of new stories that need to be told! I also would like to help in making theatre a more equitable place both on and off of the stage.
