In 2022, theatre actress Nathania Ong made history by being the first Singaporean to play the role of Éponine in the musical Les Misérables on the West End.
Her star is now set to rise higher as she has snagged a lead role in the West End production of Hamilton — a hit musical that has swept awards.
Source: @hamiltonwestend on Instagram
Those who want to catch her in this role of a lifetime may do so in London from 17 June.
Ong announced her casting in Hamilton via an Instagram post on Wednesday (8 May), in which she shared a photo of herself in front of London’s Victoria Palace Theatre, where Hamilton is being staged.
Source: @nattyong on Instagram
The 25-year-old gave a “big big thank you” to those who supported her as she auditioned for the show, including her agents and the Hamilton West End team for giving her a chance.
She also referenced the catchphrase of the lead character Alexander Hamilton by saying:
I am not throwing away my shot!
In an Instagram story, she said getting the role was “honestly beyond anything that I could have imagined” and she felt “really blessed by the kindness of people and the wonderful and nice things that people have said to me”.
Ong will be playing Hamilton’s wife Eliza, who is the emotional heart of the show.
Source: @nattyong on Instagram
Amid the show’s rapping and R&B-infused tracks, Eliza performs knockout ballads like “Burn”.
Source: @nattyong on Instagram
For the uninitiated, Hamilton is one of the founding fathers of the United States, and the musical portrays him working his way through the tumultuous times — the American Revolution, Independence from Britain and the political intrigue involved in setting up a new nation.
It also depicts the tragic love story of Hamilton and Eliza, who had to suffer the death of their 19-year-old son.
Hamilton was an instant hit when it premiered on Broadway in January 2015, and went on to win 11 Tonys, a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among other awards.
The new West End cast, which includes Ong, will make their debut on 17 June, according to Hamilton West End’s Instagram post.
Source: @hamiltonwestend on Instagram
The Singaporean will take over the role from fellow actress Shan Ako, who has been doing it since June 2022.
This will be Ong’s third West End role. Her first was Jenna Rolan in Be More Chill.
According to the official ticketing website, Hamilton plays eight shows a week in London. Tickets are on sale till March 2025.
News of Ong’s casting comes as Hamilton is coincidentally enjoying a well-received run at the Marina Bay Sands.
Organised by Base Entertainment Asia, the local production with a cast from productions all over the world is running till 9 June.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Boud
Those who don’t want to spring for a ticket can also watch a stage recording of the original Broadway cast on Disney+.
Ong previously told MS News that she decided to pursue acting professionally after catching the acting bug in the theatre club at Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC).
However, she suffered multiple rejections when she applied to the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) top drama institutions, so she returned to Singapore to attend the Bachelor’s in Acting course at Lasalle College of the Arts.
In 2018, she applied for the prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, rushing to the UK to audition while missing part of her final-year show at Lasalle.
She got in and was soon rubbing shoulders with the best young talents in the world.
With her dormmates at Mountview Academy. Source: @nattyong on Instagram
Upon graduation, Ong said she was “fortunate” to have landed roles in “relatively quick succession”, culminating in her dream role of Éponine in the musical Les Misérables.
After her successful West End run, she came back to Singapore in 2023 for the part of Cinderella in the musical Into The Woods by local theatre company Pangdemonium.
She also found time to stage a solo charity concert at the Esplanade in aid of the Business Times Budding Artists Fund in December.
Incidentally, one of the pieces she performed during the concert was a medley from Hamilton.
Also read: Hamilton in S’pore: A clever romcom disguised as an American period piece
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Featured image adapted from @nattyong on Instagram.
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