Sure, the Hamilton cast might occasionally show up at fancy award ceremonies to reunite for a song or two, but for the first time since all those Ham4Hams were still a thing, Lin-Manuel Miranda is actually back to doing what he does best every night: rapping about American history in some dope cravats. Returning to the Alexander Hamilton role he originated after an indefinite hiatus that began in July 2016, Miranda is currently performing in a Puerto Rican production of Hamilton for a 17-day run, in an effort to raise money for the country following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Tickets went for a reasonable $5,000 a pop at retail price, and frankly, we’re too scared to look at StubHub to check the resale value.
“People are going to come to Puerto Rico because of Hamilton, and hopefully spend a lot of money here,” Miranda told the New York Times in a post-performance interview. “But they’re also going to see blue tarps and they’re also going to see how much work there is to be done.” At the curtain call, Miranda also brought his father out on stage with him, likening the moment to the highlight of his night. “No one’s worked harder than him,” he added. “I really thought there were moments he was not going to survive. My dad’s worked in politics and been the most efficient guy in the room his entire career — the whole thing was a test for this.”
As the Times notes, Hamilton’s original venue, the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus, had to be moved to Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, owing to security concerns regarding ongoing labor and debt protests. Still, that didn’t deter some of Hollywood’s biggest names from coming to support Miranda and the cast on Friday’s opening night, which included Shonda Rhimes, Jimmy Fallon and Questlove.
