Lin-Manuel Miranda To Return to ‘Hamilton’ Role for Musical’s Puerto Rico Run
Lin-Manuel Miranda will return to the role of Alexander Hamilton when his Hamilton musical opens a three-week run in Puerto Rico in January 2019.
Miranda, who left the title role in his Tony-winning Broadway musical in July 2016, will bring Hamilton to Teatro UPR in hurricane-ravaged San Juan from January 8th to January 27th.
“Bringing Hamilton: An American Musical to Puerto Rico is a dream that I’ve had since we first opened at The Public Theater in 2015,” Miranda said in a statement.
“When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role. In the aftermath of Maria, we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”
Additional casting and ticket information for Hamilton’s Puerto Rico run will be announced at a later date.
“When Lin said he wanted to take Hamilton to Puerto Rico and play the role again, I almost leapt out of my chair,” producer Jeffrey Seller added. “Bringing the story of this Caribbean founding father to the Caribbean with hometown hero Lin-Manuel will be another history-making event. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, we hope Hamilton can play a positive role in bringing the artistic pulse of the community back to life. Arts and culture are pillars for economic development, cultural tourism, community empowerment and growth. As always, we will work to ensure accessibility for all audiences and a large proportion of our seats for every performance will be available by lottery for $10 each — a Hamilton.”
Miranda also announced Tuesday that the Hispanic Federation, a non-profit organization founded by his father Luis Miranda, had raised $2.5 million which will be provided to 25 organizations helping the victims of Hurricane Maria. “I’m going to continue speaking up and helping Puerto Rico. I want you to know we are here en las buenas y en las malas, during the good and the bad,” Miranda said at a press conference in Puerto Rico Tuesday. “There are so many people around the world thinking about this island.”
Miranda previously released his all-star benefit track “Almost Like Praying,” featuring Jennifer Lopez, Luis Fonsi and more, and blasted Donald Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria.