Hamilton (musical)

This article is about the 2015 musical. For the 1917 play, see Hamilton (play).

Hamilton
An American Musical
Broadway promotional poster
MusicLin-Manuel Miranda
LyricsLin-Manuel Miranda
BookLin-Manuel Miranda
BasisAlexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
PremiereJanuary 20, 2015: The Public Theater, New York City
Productions2015 Off-Broadway
2015 Broadway
2017 First North America tour
2017 West End
2018 Second North America tour
2019 Third North America tour
2021 Australia
2021 Fourth North America tour
2022 Hamburg
2023 International Tour
Awards
List of awards
 • Tony Award for Best Musical
 • Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
 • Tony Award for Best Original Score
 • Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album
 • Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical
 • Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music
 • Obie Award for Best New American Theatre Work
 • Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Cast members perform selections from the musical at the White House, 2016. L–R: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Christopher Jackson

Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. Composed over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2015, the music draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures.[1][2][3] Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now."[4]

From its opening, Hamilton received near-universal acclaim.[5] It premiered off-Broadway on February 17, 2015, at the Public Theater in Lower Manhattan, with Miranda playing the role of Alexander Hamilton, where its several-month engagement was sold out.[6] The musical won eight Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical. It then transferred to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, opening on August 6, 2015, where it received uniformly positive reviews and high box office sales.[7] At the 70th Tony Awards, Hamilton received a record-breaking 16 nominations and won 11 awards, including Best Musical. It received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A filmed version of the Broadway production was released in 2020 on Disney+.

The Chicago production of Hamilton began preview performances at the CIBC Theatre in September 2016 and opened the following month.[8] The West End production opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London on December 21, 2017, following previews from December 6 and winning seven Olivier Awards in 2018, including Best New Musical.[9] The first U.S. national tour began in March 2017.[10] A second U.S. tour opened in February 2018.[11] Hamilton's third U.S. tour began January 11, 2019, with a three-week engagement in Puerto Rico in which Miranda returned to the role of Hamilton.[12][13] The first non-English production opened in Hamburg in October 2022 for which it had been translated into German.[14] No amateur or professional licenses have been granted for Hamilton.[15]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cote was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference mead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (March 2016). "Hamilton: Casting After Colorblindness". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Hamilton is not, by the common definition, colorblind. It does not merely allow for some of the Founding Fathers to be played by people of color. It insists that all of them be.
  4. ^ Delman, Edward (September 29, 2015). "How Lin-Manuel Miranda Shapes History". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Patriotism on Broadway". The Economist. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015. Near-universal critical acclaim ...
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Revolutionary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference paulson2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ McPhee, Ryan (January 5, 2020). "Hamilton Closes in Chicago January 5". Playbill.
  9. ^ Vincent, Alice (January 30, 2017). "Hamilton London tickets: tout-beating ticket strategy, prices and how to buy them in today's general sale". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "Hamilton – Official Broadway Site – Get Tickets". Hamilton. August 25, 2016. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Breaking News: HAMILTON to Kick Off Second National Tour in the Pacific Northwest". Broadway World. March 13, 2017. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017.
  12. ^ Aukland, Cleo (November 12, 2018). "Everything We Know So Far About Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton in Puerto Rico". Playbill.
  13. ^ Paulson, Michael (December 26, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's Passion for Puerto Rico". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Garcia, Cassandra. "McAllen church accused of copyright violations following unauthorized production of "Hamilton"". KRGV. Retrieved October 8, 2022.