Calling all musical theater lovers, history buffs and geeks — Aug. 6 marked the 10th anniversary of “Hamilton” on Broadway, and cast and fans alike have been nothing short of celebratory. So what did you miss? Let me catch you up to speed.
Starting off with the most exciting news, the inimitable, the original, Tony Award-winning Leslie Odom Jr. is reprising his role as Aaron Burr on Broadway this fall. I was lucky enough to score tickets for Sept. 9 — the first day of Odom Jr.’s performance — and it definitely blew us all away. The audience welcomed Odom Jr. with roaring applause that lasted so long that he could not deliver his lines and even broke character, cracking a smile at his more-than-warm greeting. Odom Jr.’s return was extended to Nov. 26, adding three more days to his performance run than initially scheduled.
The audience welcomed Odom Jr. with roaring applause that lasted so long that he could not deliver his lines and even broke character, cracking a smile at his more-than-warm greeting.
A filmed version of “Hamilton” featuring the original Broadway cast has been playing in theaters since Sept. 5. This rerelease included a special “Reuniting the Revolution” prologue with all-new interviews from the cast and creators of “Hamilton” about the show’s impact on their lives. This theatrical release appeared nationwide across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico. It is no longer in theaters, but is now streaming on Disney+.
In honor of the anniversary, on Sept. 7, Washington Heights’ United Palace screened a free sing-along of “Hamilton” with Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. Besides the screening of the original recorded version of “Hamilton,” the event also included a screening of “Hamilton’s America,” a 90-minute documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Miranda and collaborators turned Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography “Alexander Hamilton” into a cultural hit.
Aug. 6 marked the show’s official 10-year anniversary, which was honored with an invite-only performance at the Richard Rodgers Theater with 85 alumni and 23 original cast members present.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, history happened in Manhattan as Madame Tussauds New York unveiled Miranda’s first wax figure. Jimmy Fallon presented it on stage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Later that night, Miranda joined Fallon and The Roots for a medley of “Hamilton” songs performed using classroom instruments.
Aug. 6 marked the show’s official 10-year anniversary, which was honored with an invite-only performance at the Richard Rodgers Theater with 85 alumni and 23 original cast members present. The event doubled as a fundraiser for Miranda’s Immigrants: We Get the Job Done Coalition. Named after a line from the song “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” the coalition provides legal aid, social services and advocacy for immigrants through a network of nonprofit organizations. And Burr was right, there is truly nothing like summer in the city, because after the show, Times Square’s West 46th Street was closed off for a surprise block party outside the theater that included food, free “Hamil-ten” tote bags and cast members posing for pictures, while The Roots’ drummer Questlove DJed.
The “Hamilton” summer city celebration continued as a three-week scavenger hunt — running Aug. 4 to 24 — was held in partnership with New York City Tourism & Conventions as part of the Founded by NYC initiative. Participants downloaded the HamApp, visiting “Hamilton”-themed locations like Trinity Church, where the real Alexander Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler Church are buried. Using the in-app #HamCam with special filters, fans shared their photos with #HamiltenNYC, and three winners were chosen to receive a pair of tickets to “Hamilton” on Broadway.
The “Hamilton” Playbill cover was also updated for the occasion, preserving the iconic silhouette of Alexander Hamilton striking a powerful pose atop a star, but now complete with an additional 10 stars, symbolic of the show’s 10 years on stage, circling around him.
In addition to that, this summer, “Hamilton,” Playbill and Canva teamed up for a collab contest as they invited fans to design a special edition “Hamilton” Playbill cover using a Canva template, with the winning artwork featured in Playbills at all August performances. The contest ran from June 9 to 25 and received over 3,000 entries. The winning design, inspired by the song “Burn,” was created by Sarah Welch and selected by a panel that included members of the “Hamilton” team. Finalist designs were also showcased both online and in select Playbills.
The Ham4Ham free concert series, held in front of the Richard Rodgers Theater and hosted by Miranda, returned on May 13, 23 and 30 to celebrate the anniversary and the Tony Awards season. Initially a short original cast performance for fans waiting for the #Ham4Ham Lottery, in which entrants could win $10 front-row seats to the show, the series was reprised with cast members from various Tony-nominated Broadway shows.
May 19 marked the event of The Town Hall Spring Shoutout: A Benefit Concert, aimed to raise funds for Town Hall’s efforts to bring artists to the stage, preserve their historic venue, champion voices that shape the future and expand access to the arts and civic dialogue. During the event, Miranda was awarded The Town Hall Vanguard Award for his forward-thinking work and shared the stage with many of his collaborators, co‑stars and friends from his major works: “Hamilton,” “In the Heights,” Freestyle Love Supreme and “Warriors.” The “Hamilton” performers present included Jasmine Cephas-Jones (Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the original cast), Nicholas Christopher (Aaron Burr, and in another production, George Washington), Jordan Fisher (John Laurens and Philip Hamilton), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler in the original cast), Mandy Gonzalez (Angelica Schuyler), Julia Harriman (Elizabeth Hamilton), Christopher Jackson (George Washington in the original cast) and Phillipa Soo (Elizabeth Hamilton in the original cast).
If “Hamilton” can teach us anything, it is that the sky is the limit.
During the 78th annual Tony Awards — which took place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall — the original cast of “Hamilton” reunited and performed a medley of songs from the musical to celebrate a decade since the show opened on Broadway. Miranda (Alexander Hamilton) and Odom Jr. opened the performance with the beginning lines of “Non-Stop” and “My Shot,” followed by a joint performance from Soo, Goldsberry and Cephas-Jones of “The Schuyler Sisters.”
Next, Daveed Diggs (Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson) took the stage for “Guns and Ships,” followed by Jonathan Groff (King George) performing a snippet of “You’ll Be Back.” Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules Mulligan and James Madison) jumped in with a performance of “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” after which Odom Jr. performed “The Room Where It Happens” and Jackson performed a remix of “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” and “History Has Its Eyes on You” with a brief appearance from Anthony Ramos (John Laurens and Phillip Hamilton). The performance ended with “Non-Stop,” with both original cast members and supporting cast on stage.
Coming this October, Chernow and Miranda are set to collect the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal, an award for conviction in promoting freedom and liberty.
If “Hamilton” can teach us anything, it is that the sky is the limit. As one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history, “Hamilton” has earned 11 Tony Awards, seven Oliver Awards, two Emmys, a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. It is the 16th-longest-running show in Broadway history, and its innovative blend of hip-hop, history and superb casting has made it a cultural phenomenon with sold-out performances worldwide.
So if you have a spare $1,000 lying around, do not throw away your shot of seeing Odom Jr. on Broadway while you still can. Cannot be in the room where it happens? Do not fret. You can always watch “Hamilton” on repeat on Disney+ from the comfort of your couch or listen to the musical’s sweet melodies in your headphones. Either way, be sure to celebrate any way you can, raising a glass to “Hamilton”’s 10th year on Broadway.
