Brandon Victor Dixon

Dixon subsequently joined the show's touring company. In a 2009 review, The Boston Globe noted the men in the cast were given less to work than the show's women, but said Dixon's performance was nevertheless "lithe and amusing," played to "superb comedic effect."^[10]

The Scottsboro Boys

In 2010, Dixon originated the role of Haywood Patterson, in the Off-Broadway production of the musical The Scottsboro Boys, for which he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.^[11] In a review for Variety, David Rooney said, "Haywood Patterson['s] fierce pride and refusal to die for a lie provides an affecting center to the show in Brandon Victor Dixon’s charismatic performance."^[12] In the Times, Brantley said, "Brandon Victor Dixon gives the show a shot of soft-pedaled star power. His 11 o’clock number, an angry what-I-stand-for anthem, is especially affecting."^[13]

In 2014, Dixon returned to the role of Haywood Patterson in London's West End production of The Scottsboro Boys.^[14]

Other shows

In 2011, Dixon portrayed Tom Collins in the Off-Broadway revival of Rent.^[8]

Dixon created the role of Berry Gordy Jr., founder of the Motown record label, in the original Broadway production of Motown: The Musical, which Gordy wrote himself. The show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013. His first leading role on Broadway,^[15] critics described it as a "tough, sketchy assignment" in what they felt was a flawed show,^{[16][17][18][19]} but Dixon nevertheless earned a nomination for a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.^[20]

In 2016, Dixon appeared in the role of Eubie Blake in the musical Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre.^[21] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his performance.^[22] Also in 2016, he appeared as Coalhouse Walker Jr in Ragtime at Ellis Island.^[23]

From September to November 2022, he played Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of Chicago.^[24]

Hamilton

Dixon assumed the lead role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway company of Hamilton on August 23, 2016,^[25] recruited in part by the role's originator, Leslie Odom, Jr., and selected over the role's three understudies when Dixon became available following the early close of Shuffle Along.^[6] Previously Dixon had performed with Hamilton castmate Renée Elise Goldsberry in The Color Purple, as well as other members of the cast, including Christopher Jackson, Ephraim Sykes, and Sasha Hutchings, in workshops and festivals.^[6] Dixon played the role of Burr through August 13, 2017.^[26]

Reviewing the show in June 2017 for Deadline Hollywood, Jeremy Gerard said that Dixon and other replacements merited comparison with the original cast for the formers' development of distinct but no less compelling interpretations of their characters: "Hamilton’s nemesis, Aaron Burr, is played by the exceptionally fine Brandon Victor Dixon replacing Leslie Odom Jr. The latter was steel cloaked in suavity, while Dixon is more severe in the opening number, which gives us both Hamilton’s back story and the seeds of a rivalry that will only conclude in a duel on the New Jersey shore many decades later. Delivering what is, to my mind, the show’s most astonishing number, 'The Room Where It Happens,' Dixon’s another knockout."^[27]

In November 2016, shortly after the U.S. presidential election, Republican Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended Hamilton and Dixon addressed him from the stage following the performance, thanking him for attending and stating: "We, sir—we—are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us."^[28] This statement was jointly written by the cast, show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and producer Jeffrey Seller. Pence stated that he was not offended,^[28] but President-elect Donald Trump demanded an apology for the "harassment" of Pence.^[29]

Producing

In 2013, Dixon and Motown the Musical choreographer Warren Adams founded WalkRunFly Productions to support productions for young artists.^[30] Through WalkRunFly Productions, he co-produced the 2014 Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men, which was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.^[31]

As of January 2017, WalkRunFly has two more shows in development: a transfer to Broadway of

Dixon has also appeared on television in The Good Wife and in the 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.^[36]

In 2019, Dixon appeared in another televised concert production, Fox’s Rent: Live as Tom Collins.^[37]

Personal life

Dixon lives in New York City.^[7] In 2019, he delivered the Columbia College Class Day speech.^[38]

Accolades

†: Dixon served as a producer on these productions.

References