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You've heard of 'Hamilton'; Now, 'Spamilton,' a parody of the hit musical comes to Ventura County

"Spamilton-An American Parody" is a spoof of the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton."
Ron Elkman
/
The American Theater Guild
"Spamilton-An American Parody" is a spoof of the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton".

The popular spoof of the Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winning musical uses original tunes with different (and humorous) lyrics.

Hamilton is the Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize award winning musical which tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton using everything from hip-hop, to jazz.

But there’s a different version of the show currently on stage in Ventura County. The music is familiar to Hamilton fans, but definitely not the words to the songs. It’s a hit spoof of the show, called Spamilton-An American Parody.

Jessica Val Ortiz is one of the stars of Spamilton, which just started a week long run at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks.

"We just parody the whole show, but it's just so tasteful, and so funny," said Ortiz.

While Hamilton tells Alexander Hamilton’s story, Spamilton uses the music of the Broadway hit to tell the story of the musical’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Fred Barton is not only Spamilton’s musical director, but is also co-creator of the musical.

"This show makes the metaphor of Lin Manuel Miranda himself as a Broadway revolutionary," said Barton.

He says they use Miranda's music to make fun of, but to also celebrate, a show which has become a cultural phenomenon.

Barton says one of the highlights of the show’s five year long run was having Miranda come to see it. He gave it a positive review on social media, and even brought his family to see it.

Cast member Estevan Hernandez says what makes the show so fun is that Hamilton fans know the music, even though the lyrics have been changed.

"It was really nice being able to rap some of those melodies and harmonies that everyone knows," said Hernandez.

The American Theater Guild’s presentation of Spamilton-An American Parody runs nightly through Sunday at the Bank Of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, with added matinees this weekend.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.