Even those who live far away from the bright lights of New York City and pay little attention to the newest happenings in the world of musical theater have likely heard the commotion over Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop Broadway musical Hamilton.
There is a reason for this. According to the Daily Beast, “Miranda’s Hamilton hit #2 on the list of top-grossing shows shortly after it opened and has remained there, beating out perennials like The Book of Mormon and Wicked (Only The Lion King roars louder).”
Hamilton, which tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton and the early years of America, was inspired by the book “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernov and incorporates historical figures such as George Washington, Aaron Burr, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. According to a report in the New York Times, in just 11 days since the box office opened, the Broadway musical sensation has sold a substantial $6.5 million in tickets.
The Daily Beast reports, “This week’s box office was $1.56 million, which is 117 percent of gross potential. That means the premium of tickets being sold by the venue is crazy high.” Shows for Hamilton are completely sold out through the end of this year. And while few tickets remain for early 2016, you should expect pay in the $400 range for orchestra seats.
There is good news for those who are not willing to pay that sum of money. You can now purchase and download the 46-track cast album of Hamilton, which was released digitally on September 25. The physical in-store copy will not be available until October 16. The digital album retails for $19.99 and can be purchased off of iTunes.
But the proof of success for Hamilton does not end there. Miranda was just awarded a 2015 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. The fellowships, which are popularly known as the “genius grants,” were announced Tuesday, September 29.
PBS reports that each of the fellows will receive $625,000 over the span of five years with no requirements or strings attached. According to the MacArthur Foundation, Miranda along with the other 23 recipients work in a wide variety of fields but all share an “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”
Of the award, Miranda said, “I’m honored to have been chosen as a fellow of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. I am hugely appreciative for the support I have had throughout my life and I look forward to using the grant to help institutions that have fed my soul and to support new work that inspires me.”
Over-the-top praise has not yet changed Miranda’s down-to-earth attitude. He tweets regularly to his 85,000 followers and shortly after the MacArthur announcement, he posted “My sister told my nephew that his tio [uncle]is a genius. Is Tio a genius?” His little nephew shrugged in a two-second video and said, “Maybe.” Miranda followed that statement with “#YayMaybe.”
Whether or not you can make it to a show or listen to the album: hip-hop and Broadway have officially met and have produced a musical child called Hamilton.
