Lin-Manuel Miranda Celebrates the Return of 'Hamilton' to Broadway in the Most Epic Way

Rachel Chang
·2 min read
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Show by show, Broadway is returning to its old self after going dark in the early days of the pandemic. Three of the biggest productions — "Hamilton," "The Lion King," and "Wicked" — lifted their curtains yesterday for the first time in front of audiences since March 2020. To celebrate the milestone, "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda surprised Broadway fans with a pop-up performance in front of Richard Rodgers Theater alongside company members from all three shows.

Lin-Manuel Miranda surprises the audience and welcomes them back to broadway at the Re-Opening of "Hamilton" on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theater on September 14, 2021 in New York City.
Lin-Manuel Miranda surprises the audience and welcomes them back to broadway at the Re-Opening of "Hamilton" on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theater on September 14, 2021 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

"Broadway is back — thank you for supporting live theater," a masked Miranda announced via bullhorn as he burst through the theater doors and onto the steps. "It has been a hard year and a half and I'm so grateful to the shows that led the way, like 'Pass Over,' 'Waitress,' and 'Hadestown.'"

Lin-Manuel Miranda during the "Ham4Ham Lottery" before the show at the Re-Opening of "Hamilton" on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theater on September 14, 2021 in New York City.
Lin-Manuel Miranda during the "Ham4Ham Lottery" before the show at the Re-Opening of "Hamilton" on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theater on September 14, 2021 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

He then announced that cast members from the three shows making their opening night would join together to sing the John Kander and Fred Ebb song "New York, New York."

"Please get a mask, get vaccinated, and come see live theater," Miranda, who was wearing a Drama Book Shop T-shirt, said before the Broadway stars started singing.

Miranda's proud dad — and star of HBO's "Siempre, Luis" documentary — was also there, tweeting the festivities and ending the night by posting: "Tonite [sic] was magical! Unforgettable!"

The last-minute surprise performance followed the pre-pandemic "Hamilton" tradition of #Ham4Ham pop-up shows when cast members would perform outside during the production's famously hard-to-win lotteries for $10 tickets. Yesterday's performance didn't include a lottery, but it did require fans to move quickly, as Miranda first announced the 5 p.m. event on Twitter less than an hour prior. "Well, we're in the building, so...Hello hello hello! It's a big night of reopenings on Broadway… Let's do a live #Ham4Ham show like the old days?" he tweeted at 4:04 p.m.

And that wasn't the only surprise of the day. "The Lion King" released last-minute tickets on Tuesday morning for "great seats" at the reopening show. And over at "Wicked," Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda, appeared on stage before the show. "There's no place like home," the actress, appropriately wearing glittery red heels, said according to The New York Times. "I wanted to be here to welcome New York and all of the theatergoers back to what is my favorite show. The excitement is palpable backstage. If I may, this has been quite a year, and we're still in it."