The multi-talented Miranda, 40, played a variety of roles in the creation of Hamilton, which he adapted from the best-selling 2004 Ron Chernow biography. At age 28, he received a Tony Award for scoring In the Heights, another hip-hop musical set in a Washington Heights neighborhood similar to that of his childhood. He grew up listening to his father’s Broadway cast recordings, Latin music and hip-hop - a melting-pot of musical influences that he brought to New York stages. Miranda grew up in a Hispanic neighborhood of Manhattan was educated at a school for gifted children on the Upper East Side.

It’s really nice to have something that’s like your safe topic of conversation at Thanksgiving dinner.” “It's great that we have some art in this moment that generally unites people, to have something in common,” says historian Renee Romano of Oberlin College, who co-edited a book of essays about Hamilton. Culture fiends devour its street-smart voice and contemporary soundtrack. Conservatives love the classic bootstrap-tale of an orphan with a relentless work ethic who rises to become the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury. Progressives embrace Alexander Hamilton’s triumphant immigrant’s journey (the lyric, “immigrants: we get the job done” would spark applause during performances). The fact that one of the most virulent partisan spats in American history at the core of the story, which concludes with Aaron Burr killing Hamilton in a duel, raises questions about the toll of toxic political rivalries that resonate today. The hyper-partisan political climate of the early days of the Republic carried smoothly into the Trump era.

Hamilton’s optimistic portrayal of an America-for-all, in which black and brown actors portray the Founding Fathers, seemed perfectly timed when it opened during the Obama presidency. Hamilton, which turns 5 this year, was on track this year to surpass another smash hit, The Book of Mormon, before Covid-19 forced Broadway’s theaters to close.Ĭhalk it up to cultural relevance. The top three grossing musicals are all more than 16 years old. Add sales of Hamilton T-shirts, the cast album, books and related merchandise - plus the sale to Disney - and the show ranks among an elite handful of productions that have generated revenue of more than $1 billion.Īnd it did so far faster than other Broadway phenoms. The extended run in London’s West End sold another $38.6 million worth of tickets, based on a Forbes analysis of average ticket prices. Performances in New York City have so far made $649.9 million, according to the Broadway League, while touring company stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, West Palm Beach, Dallas and elsewhere have brought in another $167.2 million, according to Pollstar.

Lin manuel mirandas