‘Hamilton’ finally embarks on an extended Mirvish run nearly 10 years after opening on Broadway

Morgan Anita Wood has bragging rights for life.

For one, she’s kissed Lin-Manuel Miranda. (He’s a consummate professional, she said, though she perhaps single-handedly kept the Tic Tac brand in business on that day of rehearsal.)

For another, she plays Eliza Hamilton on the “And Peggy” leg of the North American tour of “Hamilton.” Eight times a week, she and co-star DeAundre’ Woods, who plays Alexander Hamilton, tell the story of the $10 bill founding father, and eight times a week they discover new facets of both the musical and the history behind it.

And for the next several months, they’ll be making those discoveries onstage in Toronto.

“Hamilton” surely needs no introduction nearly 10 years after its Broadway opening and subsequent smash success. With a book, lyrics and music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also originated the title role, the hip-hop-inspired musical has forever changed the very fabric of musical theatre and instilled in a new generation an appreciation for American history — and Broadway.

And the show’s success isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Just this week Mirvish announced another extension to the Toronto run of “Hamilton,” meaning the show will run until at least August, if not longer.

When they’re onstage, Wood and Woods — whose similar last names are pure coincidence — can feel the sheer force of “Hamilton’s” staying power. Even all these years later, the audience reactions haven’t died down.

“The show feels like what we’re going through in real life,” said Woods. “And the kids, the youths, they freaking love this show.”

“‘Hamilton’ is everlasting,” agreed Wood. “There’s a depth of humanity to it. Every time I sing Eliza’s song ‘Helpless,’ I can feel the 13-year-olds in the audience just gushing, maybe going into overdrive thinking about who they’re crushing on. And then during ‘Burn,’ you can feel that energy from every young woman who’s been through it with their current partners, former partners, whatever it might be, and just having that sort of understanding between us.”

Wood and Woods have spent much of their “Hamilton” journey together, even before they were officially cast in the show. They said they felt destined to work together, create together, travel together; onstage and off, they share a close bond.

“Morgan read for my first audition,” said Woods, who received the invitation to audition for “Hamilton” mere hours after his college graduation in 2018. “She was my reader for my first audition ever. It’s so wild now that we’re married onstage. Six or seven auditions after that first one, I booked the role.”

Woods had the enormous privilege of performing in the Puerto Rican run of “Hamilton,” in Miranda’s hometown no less, before joining the “And Peggy” touring cast of the show.

“I couldn’t believe I was going to be in ‘Hamilton,’ and also doing it with Lin and all these other amazing people. We knew we deserved to be here, but we also knew this was going to be a steep learning curve. We knew we’d grow together. And five years later, we’re still doing this.”

According to both Wood and Woods, Miranda is a kind, encouraging mentor and welcome presence in any “Hamilton” rehearsal hall whenever he decides to drop by. When Wood first joined the “Hamilton” family, it was as an understudy for the three Schuyler sisters, including Peggy/Maria, who shares a steamy scene with Hamilton in the second act. During a rehearsal, the cast’s understudies were surprised to learn Miranda was going to play Hamilton during a run of the show.

“I remember we got to Act 2 and I had what felt like a panic attack,” Wood said. “I started realizing I’d have to do this very sensual scene with the boss man … I remember I couldn’t wait to text my family about it. The kiss was fine, he’s a pro. But I remember being so nervous about it,” she continued, laughing.

Woods’ experiences with Miranda have been just as sentimental, if not as intimate. While working as a standby during the Puerto Rico run, Woods got to see Miranda perform in the show for his hometown, a memory he’ll never forget.

“The crowd would go crazy like I’ve never seen,” said Woods. “Sometimes he’d be bawling, crying, just bringing it back to his home. There was one night we were onstage together and I think he probably saw I was a little nervous. I remember saying the lines, and he just looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder, and just rubbed me to let me know ‘I’m here with you. I’ve done this thing thousands of times. Just be with me here.’ And he reassured me that we were going to finish this thing.

“It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t magnificent … but we did it. And during the bows, he looked at me and gave me a nod, and it meant so much to me. He’s such a superstar in our eyes, but he’s so genuine and so giving … I’m thankful to step into his shoes and into this thing he’s created.

“We do this show for the one person in the audience who has never seen it,” Woods added. “And we’re always doing it for each other.”

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