The Hamilcast: A Hamilton Podcast

Gillian Pensavalle
  • 4.3 (1.8K)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

In this podcast about all things Hamilton, host Gillian Pensavalle speaks with guests, and sometimes co-host/all time husband Michael Paul Smith, about the innerworkings of the show, how it came together, what it takes to put on all around the world, finding Hamilton references in everyday life, and much more. The Hamilcast has played host to every member of the original creative team, aka "The Cabinet", including repeat visits from Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilcast features interviews with cast members from every Hamilton tour, Broadway, and UK company--crew members, musicians, creatives, and the hard working people behind-the-scenes that keep the production alive. Plus: historians, super fans, celebrity Hamilton enthusiasts, and group cast recordings! When I started this podcast in January of 2016, I could not have imagined the incredible community that has grown around the show and the amazing experiences that have come my way. Thank you to everyone who has listened, appeared on the show, contributed, or reached out in any way. This podcast is for you and I absolutely love making it. If you have any great Ham stories or funny references that you've come across, let me know! Email TheHamilcast [at] gmail [dot] com, or contact me on social media @TheHamilcast. I also have a Patreon that has given rise to the loveliest corner of the internet, ever. You can learn more about how to be a part of that lovely corner, and how to submit questions to guests, and to be part of my monthly AMA's at https://www.patreon.com/TheHamilcast

  1. #500: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part Two

    5D AGO

    #500: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part Two

    Here we are! We've hit the 500th and final episode of The Hamilcast (at least for now). Please excuse the shameless reference, but I am honored and thrilled that in this episode, Lin-Manuel Miranda really and sincerely teaches me how to say goodbye.  And honestly, we have a blast! This episode is beyond packed! We talk about how much we love Renee Elise Goldsberry (including Co-Op and Girls5Eva), the Dawson's Creek reunion, we cast movies (and Hamilton!) with The Muppets, you'll learn about Lin's very specific favorite parts of Hamilton including references that were cut almost immediately and the things that really are just coincidences because in a show with layers on layers on layers, some things really are just happy accidents. Lin also talks about The Hamilton Mixtape, that time Steven Sondheim visited his high school and shared a bunch of West Side Story secrets with the class, and there are at least TWO deep dives: one is Lin's writing process with Warriors: The Concept Album and working on bringing it to the stage, and the other is about professional wrestling AND WHEN I TELL YOU I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. I'm not even kidding; it is fascinating and so much fun.  And speaking of fun... I mean it 100% when I say I've had the time of my life making this podcast for you. The Hamilcast has changed my life, full stop. It's been a decade of stories and memories and friendships and "skitch, how did we get here?" moments. Each and every one of you have really made me feel like the richest girl in town, especially as we've been celebrating the end of the show and the journey we've all been on together. I also mean it when I say that there is always a possibility the show will drop more episodes in the future (Mariska, call me!), so you never know what the future may hold. The Hamilcast website is staying up, the episodes will live online forever, and @TheHamilcast will continue to be active on socials. You can find me online @GillianWithaG and I'll still be recapping true crime documentaries with Patrick over at True Crime Obsessed. Mike - you know Mike! - is @MPSmithNYC on everything.  These last eight episodes with The Cabinet were recorded at WTF Studios in Manhattan in October and November of 2025. They were produced by Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions, in collaboration with Meghan Miles. These two incredible women are invaluable and I am so grateful for them both.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to come on this show and generously share your stories with me, sometimes more than once. I am so lucky to call so many of you my friends. And to the listeners, to quote Tommy Kail when he first came on in 2018: I made this show for you. Thank you for being excited about things with me. It has been a true honor to do this for ten years and 500 episodes and I could not have done it without you. My dearest, Patreon Peeps: you are one in a million and are definitively the kindest, warmest, and most welcoming corner of the internet. With my unending gratitude… I am G.Pen.  xoxoxo /// Warriors: The Concept Album Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner Daniel Pollack-Pelzner on The Hamilcast /// #88: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part One (2017) #89: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Two (2017) #90: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Three (2017) #91: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Four // The B-Sides (2017) #92: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Five // The B-Sides (2017) #225: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part One (2020) #226: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part Two (2020) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    1h 14m
  2. #499: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part One

    JAN 19

    #499: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part One

    Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to The Hamilcast for the third and final time… at least for now. Lin was first on the show in 2017, and it was true Russell Hammond partying with "real Topeka people" moment when he came over to a then-stranger's apartment and recorded in my living room for about four hours. In this penultimate episode, we're talking about HamilTEN, HamilTEEN, and HamilTIME. Translation: the ways the show did and didn't celebrate the ten year anniversary, the fact that Hamilton will be the high school play in a few years (!!!), and how things and people have changed over the last decade of Hamilton being out in the world. We also talk about Lin's experience with Jonathan Larson's tick, tick... BOOM!, from having his mind blown after seeing it for the first time over 20 years ago, to directing the film adaptation ("Andrew Garfield was the other hand on the ouija board" - whaaaat?!), and the similarities and differences in Lin's and Jonathan's writing styles. And hey boppers, I hope you're ready because we get into Lin's work on Warriors: The Concept Album with Eisa Davis and I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. Lin talks about how the concept album came to be, what it was like to work on this extremely women-centric project, how 1979 is "fertile" for music, our mutual love for Aneesa Folds, and the fact that Lin asked super famous MCs like Nas to rap lyrics THEY DIDN'T WRITE about the BOROUGH. THEY. ARE. FROM. Incredible. We wrap it all up talking about Basketcase, Lin's nineties jukebox musical that lives in the hearts of millennials and Gen Xers everywhere. This episode was recorded in November of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. Warriors: The Concept Album Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner /// #88: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part One (2017) #89: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Two (2017) #90: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Three (2017) #91: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Four // The B-Sides (2017) #92: Lin-Manuel Miranda // Part Five // The B-Sides (2017) #225: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part One (2020) #226: Lin-Manuel Miranda Returns! // Part Two (2020) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    57 min
  3. #498: Thomas Kail Returns! // Part Two

    JAN 12

    #498: Thomas Kail Returns! // Part Two

    Hamilton director Thomas Kail is back for round two and he usually makes me cry at the end of the episode, but this time he's switching it up and doing it at the top of the second episode. But don't worry, I deflect and change the subject pretty quickly! Whew!  Tommy is as thoughtful as he is honest, so while he talks about the power of live theatre and offers insight into how and why he works the way he does, he also asks the questions that permeate almost every single project he works on: How much time do I have? And what do I do with my time? Those questions, and the fact that he takes such amazing care of the audience (regardless of the medium) are two of the reasons why I'm so honored he took the time to record with me again, almost seven years after his first visit to the pod. I've said it a million times on this podcast, but I'll say it again because it's true: if you want to truly be seen and heard, have a conversation with Thomas Kail.  And yes, we also laugh a lot and have fun! Tommy talks about his kids, It's a Wonderful Life, upcoming projects (live action Moana!), and why he's never leaving New York City. It's all about balance, mostly because "sometimes you're the Tommy, and sometimes you're the Lin."  This episode was recorded in November of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. #124: Thomas Kail // Part One (2018) #125: Thomas Kail // Part Two (2018) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    46 min
  4. #497: Thomas Kail Returns! // Part One

    JAN 5

    #497: Thomas Kail Returns! // Part One

    Hamilton's brilliant director Thomas Kail helps me wrap up the podcast with two thoughtful, insightful, and sweet episodes. Tommy is known as "The Architect" and I'm telling you, the guy lives up to the title and then some. This week T.Kail unpacks a lot of the HamilTen celebrations and how they came to be, including how they landed on the decision to release the Hamilfilm in movie theaters, his profound experience with the original cast reuniting for the Tony Awards, and Leslie Odom Jr.'s reprising Aaron Burr in Hamilton on Broadway.  Tommy also talks a lot about editing the Hamilton film (or as he calls it, his love letter to the original company) and how incredibly moving it was to watch it with them at the famous Delacorte Theater, under a full moon.  Plus, we gush about Freestyle Love Supreme and the episode ends on a very rare cliffhanger! I don't know if that's ever happened on the pod but I explain why at the end of the episode. It's nothing crazy, it's mostly a timing issue, but here we are! This episode was recorded in November of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. #124: Thomas Kail // Part One (2018) #125: Thomas Kail // Part Two (2018) #230: Jonah Moran // #HamilFilm Editor // Part One #231: Jonah Moran // #HamilFilm Editor // Part Two #232: Jonah Moran // #HamilFilm Editor // Part Three Freestyle Love Supreme Freestyle Love Supreme on The Hamilcast Moondrunk - "My Words" /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    45 min
  5. #496: Alex Lacamoire Returns! // Part Two

    12/29/2025

    #496: Alex Lacamoire Returns! // Part Two

    Alex Lacamoire is back for round two and I hope you're ready because not only does he put that keyboard to very good use, but Alex was also kind enough to bring isolated stems from the Hamilton cast album. Yep, I know, it's insane. Not only does he play some of his favorite parts (the Stevie Wonder moment in One Last Time and the Eleanor Rigby part of the opening number, for example) but Alex gives us a tour around the orchestra, one instrument at a time: strings from Burn, percussion from Guns and Ships, guitar in Helpless, stride piano in The Room Where It Happens, the list goes on and on and onnnnn.  Plus! We talk Billy Joel, Chopin, Steven Sondheim, Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, the connection between The Beatles and Sisqó, and Alex shares fantastic stories from his experience working on Sweeney Todd. This is such a deep dive and I promise that you'll love every second of it! Seriously, this barely scratches the surface of Lac's generosity. What'd I tell you? The vibes. are. PRISTINE.  This episode was recorded in November of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. #126: Alex Lacamoire // Part One (2018) #127: Alex Lacamoire // Part Two (2018) #128: Alex Lacamoire // Part Three (2018) /// MUSE: Musicians United for Social Equality Alex Lacamoire on Instagram /// #118: Andrés Forero: When you knock me down I get the f**k back up again // Part One #119: Andrés Forero: When you knock me down I get the fuck back up again // Part Two #475: Jonathan Dinklage // Hamilton Broadway's Concertmaster // Part One #476: Jonathan Dinklage // Hamilton Broadway's Concertmaster // Part Two /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    59 min
  6. #495: Alex Lacamoire Returns! // Part One

    12/22/2025

    #495: Alex Lacamoire Returns! // Part One

    Hamilton's award winning music director and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire is back after his legendary three episode series in 2018 and he's here to help wrap this show up right! Lac never comes to the pod empty handed and once again brought a keyboard, a laptop full of Hamilton music that no one has ever heard, and his ✨immaculate✨ vibes.  This week, Alex talks about celebrating ten years of Hamilton on Broadway including putting together the amazing performance at the Tonys, experiencing the Hamilfilm on the big screen, the pure joy of Leslie Odom Jr. reprising Aaron Burr, what his day to day relationship with the show is now, and reflecting on the brotherhood of The Cabinet™. Lac also shares what it feels like for him to create and experience music, letting us in on what inspires him, what it feels like to truly be in the middle of a wave of inspiration, and what guides him to his own personal North Star.  Oh and did I mention there's a keyboard?! And secret Hamilton clips?!  This episode was recorded in November of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. Alex Lacamoire on Instagram #126: Alex Lacamoire // Part One (2018) #127: Alex Lacamoire // Part Two (2018) #128: Alex Lacamoire // Part Three (2018) /// MUSE: Musicians United for Social Equality Basura: A New Musical Howard Ho and How Hamilton Works on YouTube /// #95: Carvens Lissant: Maaaaan the man is non-stop! // Part One #96: Carvens Lissant: Maaaaan the man is non-stop! // Part Two #97: Christopher Jackson // Part One #98: Christopher Jackson // Part Two #222: Christopher Jackson // C-Jack Returns! // Part One #223: Christopher Jackson // C-Jack Returns! // Part Two #224: Christopher Jackson // C-Jack Returns! // Part Three #477: Nevin Steinberg // Hamilton Broadway's Sound Designer // Part One #478: Nevin Steinberg // Hamilton Broadway's Sound Designer // Part Two /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    1h 4m
  7. #494: Andy Blankenbuehler Returns! // Part Two

    12/15/2025

    #494: Andy Blankenbuehler Returns! // Part Two

    Hamilton choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler is an absolute treasure trove. There's really no other way to say it. This is his fifth episode of The Hamilcast and he's still dropping details and Easter eggs and insight into a show we've all been talking about for over ten years. HOW DOES HE DO IT?! I have no idea, but at the very least, these episodes let you in on his incredible thought process. This week is all about the deep dives, so I hope you're ready for endless mind explosions. There are way too many to mention in the description but here's one just so I'm not totally leaving you hanging: Andy breaks down his process for "The Room Where it Happens," including details that never saw the light of day (hello nasty sand dance!), how Burr is essentially locking himself into a room ("he's screwing himself"), and we unpack some details we talked about last time ("The Room Where it Happens" = Road to Perdition). But seriously, that is just the tip of the iceberg with the deets and I cannot stress that enough. Andy also talks about the super tricky process of translating his very lyric-based choreography to work for the German production, which Easter eggs actually just coincidences, the Hamilton choreography he wants to go back and change, and why it's important to always, always, always be studying and working and creating so you can constantly be pulling from your catalogue. This episode was recorded in October of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. #217: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part One (2020) #218: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part Two (2020) #219: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part Three (2020) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    1h 15m
  8. #493: Andy Blankenbuehler Returns! // Part One

    12/08/2025

    #493: Andy Blankenbuehler Returns! // Part One

    Here we go! The grand finale of The Hamilcast is officially underway with the return of Hamilton's mastermind choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler! Andy was the last guest before lockdown, coming over in person in February of 2020. Five years later, he's back to celebrate #HamilTEN and reflect on over a decade of working the show we are still happily dissecting all these years later. I love talking to Andy because every single story he tells gives more insight into his incredible thought process. From getting Hamilton Broadway's original cast together for the 2025 Tony Awards performance, to the necessary changes to the "What'd I Miss?" choreography in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, to why the Hamilfilm is the best filmed version of a show ever... everything he does is so layered and as he says, "thick." This week we get into the logistics of the famous "Andy Refreshers" and what maintenance for the show looks like after all these years, especially when he's working on other projects, including bringing the Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis concept album Warriors to the stage. I tried to keep my cool but sdlkfjsldkfj this is so exciting and based on what Andy tells us (which is a lot!) it's going to blow all of our minds into outer space. But honestly, what else is new? This episode was recorded in October of 2025 at WTF Media Studios in Manhattan and produced with Natalie Grillo from Any Moment Productions in collaboration with Meghan Miles. #217: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part One (2020) #218: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part Two (2020) #219: Andy Blankenbuehler // Part Three (2020) /// Gillian's Website The Hamilcast on TikTok The Hamilcast on Instagram Join the Patreon Peeps

    1h 5m
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4.3
out of 5
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About

In this podcast about all things Hamilton, host Gillian Pensavalle speaks with guests, and sometimes co-host/all time husband Michael Paul Smith, about the innerworkings of the show, how it came together, what it takes to put on all around the world, finding Hamilton references in everyday life, and much more. The Hamilcast has played host to every member of the original creative team, aka "The Cabinet", including repeat visits from Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilcast features interviews with cast members from every Hamilton tour, Broadway, and UK company--crew members, musicians, creatives, and the hard working people behind-the-scenes that keep the production alive. Plus: historians, super fans, celebrity Hamilton enthusiasts, and group cast recordings! When I started this podcast in January of 2016, I could not have imagined the incredible community that has grown around the show and the amazing experiences that have come my way. Thank you to everyone who has listened, appeared on the show, contributed, or reached out in any way. This podcast is for you and I absolutely love making it. If you have any great Ham stories or funny references that you've come across, let me know! Email TheHamilcast [at] gmail [dot] com, or contact me on social media @TheHamilcast. I also have a Patreon that has given rise to the loveliest corner of the internet, ever. You can learn more about how to be a part of that lovely corner, and how to submit questions to guests, and to be part of my monthly AMA's at https://www.patreon.com/TheHamilcast

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