Hamilton (Musical)

Vorlage:Infobox musical Hamilton is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It is inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow.

Background

While on a vacation from his hit Broadway show In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda decided to pick up a biography to read on his trip. At the airport he purchased and began reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, a comprehensive biography of Alexander Hamilton's life. Miranda quickly began envisioning the life of Hamilton as a musical and did research as to whether or not a stage musical of Hamilton's life had been created. Upon his discovery that this had not yet been done, he began his work. It began as a project entitled "The Hamilton Mixtape" that Miranda worked on during his spare time from Heights. On May 12, 2009, Miranda was invited to perform at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word where he performed the opening number from The Hamilton Mixtapes. He spent a year after that working on another early number from the show, "My Shot."

Productions

Vassar College Reading (2013)

Miranda continued to work on Hamilton and performed in a workshop production of the show, then titled The Hamilton Mixtape, at the Vassar Reading Festival on July 27, 2013. The workshop production was directed by Thomas Kail and musically directed by Alex Lacamoire. The workshop consisted of the entirety of the first act of the show and 3 songs from the second act. The workshop was accompanied by Lacamoire on the piano. The only cast members to continue with the show throughout the rest of its course to Broadway would be Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson/ Marquis de Lafeyette, and Chris Jackson as George Washington.

Off-Broadway (2015)

Directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, the musical debuted Off-Broadway at The Public Theater, starting previews on January 20, 2015, and officially opening on February 17, with an engagement through May 3. Chernow served as historical consultant to the production.

The show opened to universal acclaim according to review aggregator Did He Like It.

Broadway (2015)

In a surprise move, on February 24, 2015 the producers of the musical opted to stay in their original space Off-Broadway at the Public Theater, instead of moving to Broadway immediately in order to compete for the 2015 Tony Awards. In a move reportedly driven by writer and lead performer Lin-Manuel Miranda, they hope to cut about 15 minutes from the musical's original 2 hour and 45 minute running time, and make other improvements, before transferring to Broadway. The show began its Broadway preview performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 13, 2015, with an official opening night slated for August 8.

Concept

According to an article in The New Yorker, the show is "Rooted in hip-hop, but also encompassing R. & B., jazz, pop, Tin Pan Alley, and the choral strains of contemporary Broadway, the show is an achievement of historical and cultural reimagining." The costumes and set reflect the period, with "velvet frock coats and knee britches. The set ...is a wooden scaffold against exposed brick; the warm lighting suggests candlelight.

Principal roles and major casts

Character	Vassar Workshop (2013)	Off-Broadway (2015)	Broadway (2015)
Alexander Hamilton	Lin-Manuel Miranda
Angelica Schuyler Church	Anika Noni Rose	Renée Elise Goldsberry
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton	Ana Nogueira	Phillipa Soo
Aaron Burr	Utkarsh Ambudkar	Leslie Odom Jr.
George Washington	Christopher Jackson
King George	Joshua Henry	Brian d'Arcy James*	Jonathan Groff
Maria Reynolds / Margaret "Peggy" Schuyler Van Rensselaer	Presilah Nunez	Jasmine Cephas Jones
Thomas Jefferson / Marquis de Lafayette	Daveed Diggs
James Madison / Hercules Mulligan	Joshua Henry	Okieriete Onaodowan
John Laurens / Phillip Hamilton	Javier Muñoz	Anthony Ramos

Cast replacement history

• Jonathan Groff replaced Brian d'Arcy James as King George on March 3, 2015.

Musical numbers

Act I

• "Alexander Hamilton"
• "My Shot"
• "The Story of Tonight"
• "The Schuyler Sisters"
• "Farmer Refuted"
• "You'll Be Back"
• "Right Hand Man"
• "Helpless"
• "Satisfied"
• "Wait For It"
• "Stay Alive"
• "Ten Duel Commandments"
• "That Would Be Enough"
• "History Has Its Eye on You"
• "Yorktown"
• "Dear Theodosia"
• "Non-Stop"

Act II

• "What'd I Miss"
• "Take a Break"
• "Say No to This"
• "The Room Where It Happens"
• "Schuyler Defeated"
• "Washington on Your Side"
• "One Last Time" †
• "The Adams Administration"
• "Hurricane"
• "The Reynolds Pamphlet"
• "Burn"
• "Blow Us All Away"
• "It's Quiet Uptown"
• "The Election of 1800"
• "Your Obedient Servant"
• "The World Was Wide Enough"
• "Finale"

† Previously titled "One Last Ride" in the Off-Broadway production.

Awards and nominations

Off-Broadway production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2015	Lucille Lortel Awards	Outstanding Musical		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Director	Thomas Kail	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Choreographer	Andy Blankenbuehler	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Vorlage:Won
			Leslie Odom Jr.	Vorlage:Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical	Phillipa Soo	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Daveed Diggs	Vorlage:Won
			Brian d'Arcy James	Vorlage:Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Renée Elise Goldsberry	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Costume Design	Paul Tazewell	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Lighting Design	Howell Binkley	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Sound Design	Nevin Steinberg	Vorlage:Won
	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Book of a Musical	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding New Score		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Thomas Kail	Vorlage:Nominated
		Outstanding Choreographer	Andy Blankenbuehler	Vorlage:Nominated
	Drama League Awards	Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical		Vorlage:Nom
		Distinguished Performance	Daveed Diggs	Vorlage:Nom
			Lin-Manuel Miranda	Vorlage:Nom
	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Musical		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Actor in a Musical	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical	Leslie Odom Jr.	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Renée Elise Goldsberry	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Director of a Musical	Thomas Kail	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Music	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Lyrics		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Book of a Musical		Vorlage:Won
		Outstanding Orchestrations	Alex Lacamoire	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Set Design	David Korins	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Costume Design	Paul Tazewell	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Lighting Design	Howell Binkley	Vorlage:Nom
		Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical	Nevin Steinberg	Vorlage:Won
		Special Award ‡	Andy Blankenbuehler	Vorlage:Won
	New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards	Best Musical		Vorlage:Won
	Off Broadway Alliance Awards	Best New Musical		Vorlage:Won
	Theatre World Awards	Outstanding Debut Performance	Daveed Diggs	Vorlage:Won
	Clarence Derwent Awards	Most Promising Female Performer	Phillipa Soo	Vorlage:Won
	Obie Awards	Best New American Theatre Work	Lin-Manuel Miranda Thomas Kail Andy Blankenbuehler Alex Lacamoire	Vorlage:Won
	Edgerton Foundation New American Play Awards			Vorlage:Won

‡ Blankenbuehler received a Special Drama Desk Award for "his inspired and heart-stopping choreography in Hamilton, which is indispensible to the musical's storytelling. His body of work is versatile, yet a dynamic and fluid style is consistently evident. When it's time to 'take his shot,' Blankenbuehler hits the bull's-eye."

External links

• Vorlage:IBDB name
• Internet Off-Broadway listing