How will hit musical phenomenon “Hamilton” change Broadway? It’s still too early to tell.
https://heatst.com/politics/lin-manuel-miranda-hamilton-paul-ryan-puerto-rico/
But one answer sources gave Heat Street is that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the actor-composer of the show who plays the first US Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, won’t be in the “Room Where it Happens” for all that much longer.
Appropriately given its subject, the show has become a license to print money. “Hamilton”, directed by Thomas Kail, is the biggest stage show of the millennium according to critics, audiences and celebrities (President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Julia Roberts and Whoopi Goldberg saw the show and that was just during previews, prior to last August’s opening at the Richard Rodgers Theatre).
More: Exclusive ‘Hamilton’ to Be a Movie
“Hamilton” has many (founding) fathers but central to its appeal is the presence of Miranda, who won acclaim and Tony Awards for his first musical “In the Heights” and who himself plays the eponymous “ten-dollar founding father” as the show calls one of America’s most influential politicians never to be President.
A source tells Heat Street Lin Manuel-Miranda is set to leave the show in July, after playing “Hamilton” on Broadway for a year (he performed “In the Heights” for a similar duration). While some cast members will stay on, others will depart with Lin. Christopher Jackson, who plays George Washington, has just been cast in new CBS pilot show “Bull”.
The man himself is being publicly cautious. “Everyone’s contracted for a year and everyone has the option to re-up and we’ll see where we’ll land,” Miranda told “CBS This Morning” last week. But performing Hamilton is all-consuming for Miranda and he wants to explore other creative avenues, particularly at Disney. He co-scored upcoming musical film “Moana” for the Mouse House and is in talks to star with Emily Blunt to appear in the sequel to “Mary Poppins”.
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES:
Having been inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton which he read on vacation, Miranda spent six years writing the musical which chronicles the formation of America through a mainly non-white cast including Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Jackson as George Washington. The song “My Shot” alone took Miranda one year to compose.
Just saw “Hamilton” and got to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda. Easily the best show I have ever seen. Seriously. pic.twitter.com/eDi22oMADT
— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) September 11, 2015
Ever since “Hamilton” began life at the Public Theater in January 2015, the show has both been a pop culture phenomenon. Amy Schumer spoofed it and Madonna controversially texted during a performance.
LIN-IONAIRE:
As the show’s composer, book writer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda takes around 10% of “Hamilton”‘s weekly box office takings when his participation points are factored in, in addition to his base salary. Given the show grosses around an average $1.6 million, that works out to around $160,000 a week.
The 22-strong “Hamilton” earn a weekly wage of $1,861 upwards. Last week producers responded to unrest from actors and dancers who featured in early productions of the show complained they were being cut out of the musical’s massive profits.
Given his Disney projects and other gigs, Miranda’s 2016 earnings will easily surpass $5 million. Miranda told me last year the secret of the show’s success is that it is supremely bi-partisan: “Dick Cheney said wonderful things about it and so did Laura Bush. The reminder that our Founders were human is something everyone can get behind, regardless of political affiliations.”
Okay, I freestyled for Obama, Bush, and Watson this week.
That’s a good place to quit while I’m ahead. Future reporters take note.— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 17, 2016
The box office receipts for “Hamilton” have always been stellar. The show, which cost $12.5 million to mount, has grossed almost $65 million so far and will eclipse $100 million not longer after it celebrates its one year anniversary on Broadway in July. It generates over $500,000 profit a week.
The average ticket costs $161.82 with premium seats starting at $549. Those who don’t fancy paying the dearest prices on the Great White Way can enter the digital lottery for 21 front row seats. Unusually for a musical, “Hamilton” has recouped its costs within a year with its original home The Public Theater and the three lead producers- Jeffrey Sellers, Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman- are already reaping the rewards.
THE FILMS:
Lin-Manuel Miranda stands to make a fortune from selling the film rights for both “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”. A previous attempt to make a film version of “In the Heights” for Universal stalled half a decade ago but Miranda told me late last year it’s back in play: “There is a new script of “In the Heights” which is fantastic. At the time the conventional wisdom about musical film was being flipped on its head and the “Rent” and “Mamma Mia” movies had given a huge lease of life to the shows at the box office so I was feeling enormous pressure, some of it self-created, while the show was still running. “Chicago” took 25 years – hopefully “In the Heights” takes less than that!”
No deal has been done yet for a “Hamilton” film but it’s only a matter of time. Tellingly “Hamilton”‘s producers have resisted multiple offers for a full live broadcast of the musical to be shown in cinemas.
THE FUTURE:
Even with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s departure, the show will be on Broadway for at least a decade and will almost certainly sweep the Tony Awards in June. One producer I spoke with said he wouldn’t be surprised if it is still going strong in 2030. Don’t ask Lin-Manuel himself what will happen. “I couldn’t have predicted any of this,” he told me, “and I certainly can’t predict what’s next.”
Still reeling after @HamiltonMusical. If you have feelings of any kind you will love this show. Or if you are human. Or both. Incredible.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) September 12, 2015
