'Hamilton' news update: Lin-Manuel Miranda says goodbye to Broadway hit he created
"Hamilton" creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda took his final curtain call as the titular American Founding Father on Saturday night alongside original cast members Leslie Odom, Jr. and Phillipa Soo, and ensemble member Ariana DeBose.
The four's final performance in the award-winning Broadway hit was broadcast via Facebook Live, allowing fans to watch the actors' historic final farewell at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Saturday night's curtain call was set to the theme song from "The West Wing," a personal favorite of Miranda's. The crowd gave the cast a standing ovation as Miranda, Odom, Soo, and DeBose took a bow together. Later, after much prodding by co-star Christopher Jackson, Miranda took the spotlight alone, stepping forward and taking a solo bow.
The "Hamilton" composer will be replaced by Javier Muñoz, his longtime onstage alternate, starting today, July 11. Lexi Lawson will take over from Soo as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton on the same date. Brandon Victor Dixon will replace Odom as Aaron Burr beginning in mid-August.
THR reports that Saturday night's "Hamilton" performance was filled with celebrity fans, including Mariska Hargitay, Jane Fonda, Rosie O'Donnell, Aaron Paul, Edward Norton, and Jennifer Lopez.
Lopez, with whom Miranda recently collaborated on a song to benefit the Orlando mass shooting victims, told THR, "It was so emotional — the words, the music, the actors, the triumph."
"It's now a part of Broadway history," she said. "I am so proud of Lin and happy I was able to be there with my children, Max and Emme."
Following his final performance in the breakout musical, Miranda tweeted: "It's been a bit of a day. Wits intact. Love you. Good night." According to THR, Miranda cut his role-required shoulder-length hair after the show and arrived at the "Hamilton" after-party with a shorter 'do.
"Hamilton" won 11 Tony Awards this year. It has also received a Grammy, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, and a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" grant for Miranda.
The show is heading to Chicago this fall and will be on a 21-week run in San Francisco next year. A London production is also reportedly being planned.