‘Hamilton’s’ Aaron Burr wants to sing the national anthem at an Eagles game
Josh Tower has one dream – and he hopes it can happen while he’s here in Philadelphia playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton at the Forrest Theatre.
Josh Tower has one dream — and he hopes it can happen while he’s here in Philadelphia playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton at the Forrest Theatre.
“My dream is to be able to sing the national anthem at an Eagles game,” said Tower, who grew up near Ambler and graduated from Upper Dublin High School and Temple University, by way of Montgomery County Community College. “It would be so special.”
As it is, Tower practices the anthem in the shower at least once a week, he said, putting his own spin on the notoriously difficult-to-sing “Star-Spangled Banner.” “It’s a hard song,” he said. That’s why, even while lathering, he tells himself, “Don’t mess it up.”
“I’m a veteran,” he said, “l would do it justice. I would be very proud, and it would be very tasteful.”
Tower remembers well the day the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018. Even though he had been living in New York for years, he never stopped being a Birds fan.
“I was in New York City with my wife and family watching the game,” he said. “We were doing School of Rock and had the night off. It was the best game I had ever seen. I was surprised by the emotions I felt. It just shows that sports are more than sports. There are a lot of connections. It had been a long stretch and I don’t know if it will ever happen again in my lifetime.”
After Tower graduated from Upper Dublin (and he won’t say when — people in the theater tend to be secretive about their ages), he joined the Army and later attended Montgomery County Community College on the G.I. Bill. At Temple, he lived in Johnson-Hardwick Hall while pursuing a theater major. He wants to check out changes to the campus while he’s back.
Hamilton, part of the Kimmel Center’s Broadway series, opens Tuesday and runs through Nov. 17.
Fringe advice from theater pros
With 179 shows presented in 1,274 performances in 102 venues, this year’s Fringe Festival, like every year’s, overwhelms in sheer magnitude. How to choose? To help, over the next few weeks, we’ve asked some of the Philly theater scene’s cognoscenti for their picks.
Jose Aviles, a local director, actor, and theater arts educator and administrator. Aviles is the cofounder and artistic producing director of Teatro del Sol, in residence at the Arden Theatre.
At the Fringe: Usually, I am directing a show or two during the Fringe, but this year I will be focusing on directing Teatro del Sol’s opening production at the Arden, the world premiere of Good Cuban Girls by local Cuban-American playwright Iraisa Ann Reilly. You’ll like it because it is a fresh look at a universal story set in a bilingual home. A dramedy with a lot of heart! Good Cuban Girls, a coming of age story, navigates the first-generation American struggle for cultural preservation in the face of exile.
What’s on my calendar:
¡Qué Ridículo! (Sept. 18-21 at the Philly Improv Theatre at the Adrienne, by ¿Qué?). Hey Philly! There is a hilarious Spanish sketch and improv troupe in Philly — accessible for English and Spanish speakers.
Operation: Wawa Road Trip (Sept. 5 -21 at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake, by Tribe of Fools): I always look forward to seeing Tribe of Fools at Fringe. I love how they combine original storytelling with exhilarating movement. This production was also recommended by two of our guest curators.
Gay Mis (Sept. 7 -15 at Franky Bradley’s by Eric Jaffe): Two of my favorite things Les Misérables and drag! I am getting giddy just thinking of how much fun this is going to be.