I wanted to eliminate any distance between then and now. “What I knew is that I wanted this show to live in the tension of emotions that felt very contemporary. “When we started casting this in 2011, we didn’t know the subjects that would be dominating headlines in 2017,” Kail said, when asked whether the simmering racial tensions in America over the past couple of years had made the casting choices feel more pointed. In the stubbornly white world of British theatre, which remains a long way off from regularly casting black and minority ethnic actors in roles long-played by their white counterparts, Hamilton makes a powerful statement. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images Thomas Kail, the Hamilton director, pictured at the Richard Rodgers theatre in New York City. In the original production, Miranda, who is of Puerto Rican descent, played Hamilton in London, Jamael Westman, born to an Irish mother and Jamaican father, takes on the role. Hamilton might begin in 1776, but Kail said he and Miranda always intended for the show to feel relevant, holding up a mirror to society. With Kail’s encouragement, the song grew into a 10-track mixtape and eventually spawned an ambitious 46-song musical. He was also one of the first to witness the origins of Hamilton, which began as a single song in 2009. Kail’s relationship with Hamilton’s celebrated writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, began in 2005 when he directed Miranda’s debut, the musical In The Heights. “We are very conscious of what we are doing here. “We never imagined casting the show in any other way – never for one second,” he said. In an interview with the Guardian, the director of Hamilton, Thomas Kail, said there was “no question” the multiracial casting would also be at the core of the UK version, which officially opens on 21 December. The London production of Hamilton gets 13 Olivier nominations, making it the most nominated show in the history of the awards.Ī filmed version of the Broadway production debuts on the Disney+ streaming service, warmly welcomed while the world is still in lockdown over the coronavirus crisis.

The show opens to five-star reviews at the newly renovated Victoria Palace theatre in London. The first cast members are revealed for a West End production of Hamilton. From the stage, actor Brandon Victor Dixon addresses him directly, saying: “We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us.” On Twitter, Donald Trump condemns their “terrible behaviour” and says he hears the show is “highly overrated”. Vice-president-elect Mike Pence sees the show in New York. A spoof version of the musical, Spamilton, opens in New York.Ī production of Hamilton opens in Chicago and runs concurrently with the Broadway version. Miranda stops performing in the show to pursue other opportunities, including starring in a sequel to Mary Poppins. Miranda performs a sonnet in praise of his wife and son, ending with the words: “Now fill the world with music, love and pride.” The musical breaks records, winning 11 Tony awards – at a ceremony that takes place after news breaks of a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Hamilton wins the Pulitzer prize for drama. First lady Michelle Obama calls the show “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life”. Miranda visits the White House to perform songs from the musical and a video of him freestyling in the Rose Garden with President Barack Obama goes viral. The original Broadway cast recording wins a Grammy award for best musical theatre album. In her four-star review, the Guardian’s Alexis Soloski calls the show 'brash, nimble, historically engaged and startlingly contemporary'.Īfter selling out its run at the Public, the show opens on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers theatre and there is huge demand for tickets. Its subject is the US founding father who was the first secretary of the Treasury.Īs the show opens officially, it wins praise from critics, particularly for its innovative blend of musical styles, from rap to operetta. Hamilton, a new musical written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, has its first performances off-Broadway at the Public theater in New York.

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