What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1462098
MONICA HOOPER NWA Democrat-Gazette D avid Park has been gathering praise across Instagram for his portrayal of Marquis De Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in "Hamilton." An Instagram post with the hashtag #KoreanLaffJeff featuring him dressed as Hamilton's bestie, glows with comments: "Little Rock loved you!" "Amazing performance!" and "My mom couldn't stop talking about how great you were!" Just to list a few. Park will join the cast as friend, then foe, of the title character when "Hamilton" comes to the Walton Arts Center March 22-April 3. It's hard to believe that it took a director dragging him into an audition to spark his love of musicals. "I've always been very musical, and I was involved in music throughout my whole life, like taking band and singing in church and stuff like that," Park says. While studying vocal jazz at Pasadena City College in the suburbs of Los Angeles County, the director of musical theater overheard him singing one day and asked him to audition for "Hairspray." He says that he wasn't going do it but, "on the day of the audition, she literally saw me on campus and dragged to the auditorium and had me sing." From that audition, he landed the role of Link Larkin. "I had never done any musical theater [at that point]. I didn't know if that was anything I could do. But something about it just seemed fun. And I had loved watching movie musicals. I had actually never seen a live musical at that point," he adds. Despite his inexperience, the musical theater bug chomped down. "Once I did it, it just was a perfect combination of all these things that I love to do. I love to sing. I had never acted before, but I love performing for people. I love to dance. And ultimately it was the people that really made me stay in it. I loved the community that I was able to build from doing one show," Park says. This still resonates for him in the touring production of "Hamilton" — which is his first time touring with a musical. He says that working with so many people, in "Hamilton's" case hundreds of people, who are working toward the same goal of connecting through a production, "that's really powerful for me." Park moved to New York shortly after college to act, appearing off- Broadway in "Red Roses, Green Gold" and on screen in "Elementary," "Madame Secretary" and "Bonding." But after winning a seat in the ticket lottery to see the original Broadway cast of "Hamilton," he made quite a prediction. "I was on stage dooring after the show. I don't really do that normally, but 'Hamilton' was just so impactful that I had to see these people's faces up close. And when [creator Lin- Manuel Miranda] came out, he was signing my playbill. And I told him, 'Hey Lin, try to keep the show open for a while, because I'm going to be in it some day." Park laughs, adding that after performing the musical many times, he knows that he "was probably exhausted" and doesn't remember the encounter. MARCH 20-26, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 3 COVER STORY 'Young, Scrappy And Hungry' 'Hamilton' actors not throwing away their shot "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We fought for these ideals, we shouldn't settle for less. These are wise words, enterprising men quote 'em. Don't act surprised, you guys, 'cause I wrote 'em!" David Park plays Thomas Jefferson in the touring production of "Hamilton." (Courtesy Photo) "I'm just like my country. I'm young, scrappy, and hungry." (Courtesy Photo/Joan Marcus) See Hamilton Page 4 FAQ 'Hamilton' WHEN — 7 p.m. March 22-23; 1:30 & 7 p.m. March 24; 8 p.m. March 25; 2 & 8 p.m. March 26; 2 p.m. March 27; again March 29-April 3 WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville COST — $199-$449 INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org