BY KAREN BOSSICK
Sun Valley Opera has tried for two years to get one of the stars from Broadway’s “Hamilton” to Sun Valley.
But when they weren’t performing “Hamilton,” they had other commitments.
Finally, the answer came in the form of Bryan Terrell Clark, who performed George Washington in the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning show.
Clark will perform two shows at 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Sun Valley Opera House. He also will present an intimate concert at a Diva Party in a private home at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.
Clark, who will perform Friday at BYU-Idaho, will meet and greet people at the Diva Party on Saturday. He also will meet and pose for selfies with those in preferred seating at Sunday’s concerts, said Sun Valley Opera Co-Founder Frank Meyer.
“He’s very versatile in his musical interests,” said Meyer. “He graduated from the Yale School of Drama. He began singing and acting on Broadway. And, lately, he’s been doing more films.”
Clark will sing several songs from “Hamilton” while in Sun Valley, including “History has Its Eyes on You,” Washington’s lament about what he wished he’s known when he was younger, and “One Last Time” in which Washington notes the nation will outlive him when he’s gone.
He also will sing love songs from his Broadway role as Marvin Gaye in Motown,” including “What’s Going On?”
And he’ll sing Stephen Sondheim’s “No One is Alone,” from “Into the Woods,” “Amazing Grace” and other popular songs.
Sun Valley Community School students and other local singers will provide a chorus.
Meyer had the opportunity to see the International tour of “Hamilton” in Seattle and was impressed with its use of rap.
“Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the 800-page best-selling biography about Hamilton, decided it would make a good musical. But he had so much to say to tell the history of America that the only way he could put it all in a song was to use rap style,” Meyer said. “it’s an interesting musical—there’s so much going on in stage between dancing and talking, you don’t know where to look.”
The play’s musical style has resounded with young people, Meyer added.
And, Bryan Terrell Clark, in turn, has done his best to promote arts among children by establishing a foundation titled inDEFINED, to inspire and teach young people to use their voices to erase constrictive labels in society.
“He also has a fashion line of T shirts with different slogans about social issues,” Meyer said. “He’s quite the Renaissance man.”
Tickets for Sunday’s performance are $75 and $95, available at 208-622-2135 or www.sunvalleyresort.eventbrite.com.
The Diva Party on Saturday night costs $250 and includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a choice of concert on Sunday. Diva tickets are available from Robyn Watson at 208-726-0991 or at www.sunvalleyopera.com.