Father’s Day: The new role of ‘Hamilton’ cast member Donald Webber
Father’s Day now has a whole new meaning for Donald Webber, Jr., Hamilton cast member.
When the actor took on the role of the cunning, friendly Aaron Burr in one of the blockbuster’s North American tours in 2018, he was not yet a father.
As he prepared to sing the show’s soft, beautiful duet “Dear Theodosia” for the first time, in which Burr and Hamilton separately address their newborn children, Webber had made notes in the margins of his script about how he imagined it would be to be a father. .
Flash forward three years. During the pandemic, his wife and ‘Hamilton’ co-star Rebecca Covington gave birth to their son, Donald Webber III. In 2021, when theaters reopened and the couple returned to tour, their baby boy – nicknamed D3 – was four months old. During rehearsals, Webber Jr. his notes for “Dear Theodosia” and choked.
“This time I knew exactly what it was like to be a father, there was no guessing and no need to prepare emotionally,” he said in a recent interview at the Princess of Wales Theatre, where “Hamilton” plays until August 2 . 20.
“It was the first time I sang the song since coming back and I couldn’t get through it, the tears were just overwhelming,” he said. “When I opened my eyes and looked around, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. It really felt like one of those times where people think, ‘Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?’”
Covington, who plays the dual role of the youngest Schuyler sister, Peggy and Maria Reynolds, on the show, says her husband has blossomed during fatherhood.
“He has shown patience: with me and with D3,” she said. He protects us and covers us. And he’s been able to access parts of himself that just seem so natural. I remember asking him, “How did you know to test the window to make sure it was locked?” It’s like his parental instinct kicked in and I realized this protective paternity part of him was always there. He just needed D3 to come over and make it come out.
Traveling from city to city can be a challenge in the best of circumstances. But what about a young child? Webber, Jr. and Covington have hired a babysitter to look after D3 – who is now two – in the evenings, and on days when there is only one show they are allowed to be with him all day.
They have ensured that he has a certain rhythm in his days.
“We wanted him to have a structure and understanding of when we do certain things so that he would feel comfortable wherever we were,” says Webber, Jr. “The sound machine plays the same music and always goes on at a certain time. His bed will always be made the same way.”
“And,” Covington added, “his pack ‘n’ play stuff will always be there.”
D3 is so used to his parents’ musical life that he even starts singing along during their pre-show vocal practice.
“He’ll sing our warmups with us and add backing vocals,” Covington said with a laugh.
“He knows every part of our routine,” added Webber, Jr. please. “He matches us on the field, has mastered these intricate rhythms. Musically he blows our mind. When he grows up he can become an astronaut if he wants to. But I’m pretty sure he will sing on the way to the moon.”
Webber Jr. and Covington met in 2013 while in the original Broadway company of “Motown: The Musical”. This was not a short show-mance, however; their relationship started as a friendship.
“We just started having lunch,” Webber Jr. explains. ‘First with a large group of ‘Motown’ people. And then that group got smaller and smaller, until there were just the two of us.”
“We were friends for a long time and I think that gave us confidence and stability,” said Covington. “Our relationship has always been built on a strong friendship and it has never wavered.”
The couple joined the 2018 Hamilton tour and were part of the headline-making fundraising gigs in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2019 — along with “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda — after Hurricane Maria hit the island. devastated.
“That was the biggest intersection of art and service, because we could be there to help them rebuild the island in the best way possible,” Covington said. “We were all exhausted, we did nine weeks of shows, but we were led by Lin and his energy never waned.”
Webber, Jr. remembers the thunderous applause that stopped the show every time the composer and actor stepped forward and introduced himself as Alexander Hamilton.
“You can’t imagine what it’s like to be on a stage and do the show while people applaud,” he said.
They are both thrilled to be part of a show that helped change the look, sound and feel of theater – something that continued after the changes brought about by the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter protests. movement.
“I’m proud of the blueprint that ‘Hamilton’ has created that allows people of color to take up so much space and be in the spotlight,” said Covington. “While we are in this room, we can plant seeds to see the work moving forward. Historically, in this industry, we have a lot to undo and a lot to dig up. And now we can make our voices heard in a way we haven’t been able to do before.”
The Toronto leg of this particular “Hamilton” tour is the last, prompting the pair to look back at it all – and look ahead.
“We’ve got other things lined up, but we’re in that fun place where we’re not allowed to talk about it,” Webber, Jr. said. “But it’s great to think about what the journey has brought here. You don’t always get that in theater. On Broadway, you might find out in a week or so that you’re closing. We’ve known for a while that Toronto is the last stop of our company is. As they say on the show, ‘Don’t forget where you came from.’”
Covington is excited to begin the next phase of their lives.
“We left home for what we thought would be a year,” she said. ‘Five years later we come back, with a child. Our whole life has changed. I look forward to our next adventure in parenting and life.”
Before then, however, there’s the matter of Father’s Day. Does the Webber family have plans?
“I think I should make a dinner reservation,” Covington said, laughing.
“All I need is a burger,” agreed Webber, Jr. in. “You, D3 and a civilian.”
