Revelling in Hamilton Australia’s spotlight, Shaka Cook dreams of telling the Pilbara’s story

Shaka Cook needs no introduction. The Pilbara’s homegrown theatre star is playing American founding father James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in the Australian production of Hamilton the Musical. But before he was running on stage with the sons of liberty and loving it, he was running around Tom Price and 5 Mile just outside of Roebourne learning how to swim in a tank. Much like Hamilton: The Musical’s role in rewriting its titular character’s story, Cook revealed his deep desire to share more unique stories from the region he calls home. “All of the history that has happened in the Pilbara is an amazing history and even just the red dirt itself, Indigenous culture, the fact there’s so many tribes, languages and dialects,” Cook said. “One of my many goals that I have is to be able to make my own films and TV shows and tell a lot ofstories from that area. “Getting to share my life experiences with (new friends) and how it blows their mind that it’s a completely different world that they know nothing about and also being able to bring that on-stage and on-screen is amazing.” Hundreds of excited theatregoers took their seats at the Sydney Lyric Theatre last week for the return of Hamilton after 133 cancelled performances in the past three months. “It feels great to be back ... it’s like opening again but knowing we’ve done this before, it feels fresh and strange,” Cook said. “The whole place was electrifying, it was rumbling and you could feel the excitement that people were feeling about finally being able to be back in the theatre and for fans to be able to see the show.” Cook graduated from the National Institute Of Dramatic Arts in 2012 and has starred in the Sydney Theatre Company’s The Secret River, Queensland Theatre Company’s Jasper Jones and feature films The Flood and Top End Wedding. “I’ve been acting now for about eight years and each year has been a new step in my career with film, TV and theatre,” he said. “It’s all led up to this moment and now I’m in my first musical, in one of the biggest musicals in the world, playing a lead role and a great role. “I get to be wild and crazy as Hercules Mulligan and just be that guy that people are just hyped to see, then I get to be very smart and direct and very political with James Madison.” Cook recalled the time he got the news to play the role of the fourth president of the United States, saying he was in Karratha about to drive back to Tom Price. “I think (my agent) was more excited than I was because I was just shocked,” he said. “On the road back, that four-hour drive, me and my younger brother were just listening to the whole Hamilton soundtrack just to get some practise in.” His biggest pinch-me moment was seeing the cast announcement. “That’s when I realised how big the show was and how life-changing it is for a lot of people for the show to come to Australia,” he said. “For people to see themselves being represented on-stage on a show like this and it being done with so much style, flair and talent is amazing. “I remember posting something on my Instagram and within 45 minutes it was already in the New York Post, I thought ‘this is crazy’.” Looking ahead, Cook said he hoped Hamilton would be brought to Perth. “There’s still so many people in Australia that want to see it and I know everyone in WA is dying to see it,” he said. The multi award-winning musical will be in Sydney until February 2022 before a Melbourne season.

Revelling in Hamilton Australia’s spotlight, Shaka Cook dreams of telling the Pilbara’s story

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