‘Hamilton’: Hear ‘First Draft’ Version of Showstopper, ‘Burn’
Lin-Manuel Miranda released a “first draft” of the Hamilton showstopper “Burn” for the April installment of the Tony winner’s Hamildrops series. “First Burn” features vocals by five of the actresses who have portrayed Eliza Schuyler, who sings “Burn” in the musical, in various Hamilton productions.
Unlike the emotional ballad performed in Hamilton, “First Burn” takes a looser, more upbeat approach to the pivotal track, with actresses Ari Afsar, Julia Harriman, Lexi Lawson, Rachelle Ann Go and Shoba Narayan essentially forming an R&B group, or “5 Elizas” as Miranda called them on Twitter.
Previous Hamildrops – Miranda’s yearlong endeavor to share new music associated with the beloved musical – have included “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Hamilton Polka,” the Nas collaboration “Wrote My Way Out” and the Hamilton/Dear Evan Hansen mash-up “Found/Tonight,” which Miranda and Ben Platt performed at the March for Our Lives rally.
In January, the Hamilton touring production expanded to 15 more cities in 2018 along with its residencies in New York, London and Chicago. Miranda also announced plans to briefly return to the Alexander Hamilton role when the musical is staged in San Juan, Puerto Rico in January 2019.