The ten-dollar founding father.

July 7, 2015 8:38 PM

After reading a "nicer" ending for the musical Hamilton proposed by a young fan, Lin-Manuel Miranda (as Alexander Hamilton) and Leslie Odom Jr (as Aaron Burr) decided to give it a shot. Written by and starring Tony-award winner Miranda and based on the Ron Chernow biography, Hamilton is a hip-hop musical about the life and times of the first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton starts previews soon on Broadway after an acclaimed and sold-out run at the Public.

Previously, featuring the song the musical grew out of.

Bonus: Leslie Odom Jr recreates Michael Bay's best work.

posted by kmz (12 comments total)

That was sweet. Lol at the rendition of the "sophisticated handshake."

Remember the Hamil'Ten'!
posted by CincyBlues at 9:28 PM on July 7, 2015

I love Iain. Great job, Hamilton folks.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:54 AM on July 8, 2015

After seeing the video of Lin-Manuel at the White House and a couple years of persistent Googling, I was lucky enough to catch Hamilton at The Public Theater. Despite having my expectations set way up here, the show blew me away. The energy, inventiveness, and humor of that opening song maintains throughout the show, and the wordplay in the lyrics is delightfully dense. The restless, manic, verbose nature of Lin's seems to be the perfect match for Alexander Hamilton.

Also, because the show at The Public was unrecorded, it was uniquely spoiler-proof. Sure, I caught a few bars of lyrics from the New Yorker piece, but besides the opening number, I had no information. So I had the weird experience of impossibly high expectations but no way to safely confirm before buying tickets. I'll get the cast album the minute it's available, but that show will differ slightly from that at The Public in ways I can't put my finger on and will never be able to confirm. I guess I'm trying to relive and enjoy my experience before it is overwritten by the album version, and I sound like a man who is trying to describe his feeling upon seeing a shooting star.
posted by Turkey Glue at 3:57 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I saw it at the Public and was completely dazzled and overwhelmed. Lin Manuel Miranda is a national treasure, and I mean that in dead earnest.
posted by prefpara at 5:05 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

He changed the ending based on a suggestion by a 6-year-old? Yow.

I'd like to see Hamilton, but I can see I'm going to have to plan far ahead.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 6:34 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was so disappointed that this had just closed its run at the Public when I was in NYC last spring.
posted by suelac at 7:58 AM on July 8, 2015

Miranda just tweeted that the entire front row will be available for $10 in a lottery.
posted by Mavri at 11:41 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

This is perhaps the thing Lin-Manuel Miranda is best known for on the Internet. While that is a glorious thing, I hope Hamilton becomes even better known.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:05 PM on July 8, 2015 [2 favorites]

I saw In the Heights, his first musical, a few years ago during one of its traveling tours and it was wonderful. The music and energy were fantastic. The more that I see and hear about this, the more excited I get. I may have to make a special trip to New York, just to see it (although when I look up tickets the show already looks sold out through December). Plus, I loved his short run on House.
posted by bove at 5:57 PM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I thought this was the thing he was most well known for on the Internet?

"What the heck I gotta doooooo to be with you?"
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:33 AM on July 9, 2015

"YOU ARE TEARING ME APAHT, AARON"

Also, it was just announced that Questlove and Black Thought will be producing the cast album.
posted by kmz at 7:33 AM on July 9, 2015

I saw Hamilton on Monday. It's a masterpiece.
posted by Mavri at 10:04 PM on July 29, 2015