‘The possibilities are endless’: Cranston native Moise makes it to Broadway with smash-hit musical ‘Hamilton’

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 7/21/16

“I love theater as an art form,” Cranston native Mike Moise said. “Everyone has their own piece to bring, and when we all collaborate we can create something much larger than ourselves, …

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‘The possibilities are endless’: Cranston native Moise makes it to Broadway with smash-hit musical ‘Hamilton’

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“I love theater as an art form,” Cranston native Mike Moise said. “Everyone has their own piece to bring, and when we all collaborate we can create something much larger than ourselves, something we get to put out into the world for people to enjoy.”

Moise brings a musical contribution to that equation, and of late he has been doing so as substitute conductor for what has become a cultural phenomenon – the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Hamilton.”

Moise, 25, first fell in love with theater at age four when his parents brought him to see “The Phantom of the Opera.” His father would begin playing the pieces himself on the piano, and Moise was able to pick it up by ear. It was then that he began piano lessons, training in mostly classical music, with Al Conte.

With a street full of his best friends and sports to be played, it initially took some coaxing in the early years to get Moise to practice. Now, he cannot envision himself doing anything else.

Moise said his true passion for theater emerged while he was a freshman at La Salle Academy, when he was asked to serve as the musical director for “Into the Woods.” Throughout his high school career, he would continue to participate in the theater program.

Unlike many high schoolers involved in music, Moise never wanted to join a rock band. The theater was his “niche,” and what he loved to do. He enjoyed the personalities involved in putting on a show, from the cast to the crew.

“I genuinely enjoy spending my time with these talented people. I was lucky to go to a school with a strong theater program, and who’s to say I’d be here without it,” he said.

After graduating from La Salle, Moise attended Bryant College as a business major, but he was playing piano more than he was going to classes and completing homework. He transferred to the University of Rhode Island with a major in music.

“I was there for maybe a year and a half, but at the time I was in my own world doing my own thing,” he said.

In 2011, Moise left URI to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, from which he would graduate.

Moise went to work at Theatre by the Sea the summer after graduating from La Salle and continued to work there throughout the summers. He started as the second keyboard in the orchestra and directing the cabaret on weekends, but made his debut as a musical director two years ago with the show “Grease.”

“That’s when I really learned about the professional side of a show, all the different facets that makes a show successful or not and the different personalities involved and how they come together,” he said. “It was a good introduction to what I hope to be doing for the rest of my life, hopefully.”

In September 2015, Moise made the decision to move to New York City to try and make his way to Broadway. Then, within a week of living in the city, Moise’s friend from Berklee who was working with “Hamilton” put him in contact with the conductor, Alex Lacamoire, who recently won a Tony for Best Orchestrations. The two exchanged a few emails, and Moise was told to learn the music. After a few days he went in to audition, and after playing several of the songs and doing some sight-reading, and was hired as a rehearsal pianist.

“Hamilton,” written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, uses hip-hop music to tell the life story of Alexander Hamilton. It debuted on Broadway in August 2015, and has gone on to enormous success. At this year’s Tony Award, the production received a record-setting 16 nominations and took home 11 trophies, including Best Musical.

After about five months with the play, Moise in February of this year was asked to serve as the substitute conductor and second keyboard in the orchestra. After months of practice, he conducted his first show on May 7.

With barely any sleep the night before, Moise said he got to the theatre three hours early, taking the time to sit in the theater “taking it all in” while having the show run through his head over and over.

“And then it was go time,” he said. “The music is non-stop in this play, so once you start it is go, go, go. You have to keep that high energy until the end.”

Since May, Moise has served as conductor several more times and there are plans to do so for future shows as well.

With all the added “hype” surrounding “Hamilton,” Moise has seen some spectacular sights. He has watched people waiting in line for hours just for the possibility of getting cancellation tickets, and seen “Hamil-fans” waiting outside the theater to catch a glimpse the their favorite actors. He has even seen fans ask cast members to sign their foreheads.

Moise said the innovative approach of “Hamilton” – mixing a lesser-known story from American history with the very modern art form that is hip-hop – has led to its success. He also said the show has done much for theater as an art form.

“This play is helping get more people interested in theater, especially kids,” he said. A show like this shows kids the possibilities are endless. They can do anything.”

Moise hopes to use “Hamilton” as a “springboard” into his next endeavor, whatever that might be. He is proud to be part of such a successful show, and knows that on Broadway, one never knows what is coming next.

“It is all really exciting. One thing just led to another, and I have been very fortunate,” he said. “It was a series of weird little things that worked out perfectly for me.”

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