INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Hamilton’ Premiere In Puerto Rico Moves Lin-Manuel Miranda To Tears

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 05:03 PST, Jan 12, 2019

Every maestro is asked about his favorite audience or the best place to perform their work, and as it turns out, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has his answer – Puerto Rico. Miranda opened Hamilton last night on the island, once again playing Alexander Hamilton.

Page Six says that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s island homecoming of sorts brought him to tears, as part of the Hamilton story includes hurricanes, big storms, and rough seas, not unlike the hurricanes which ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017. Miranda wiped away his tears as the cast received a long standing ovation and a curtain call.

“I have never felt anything like that.”

The show will run for two weeks in Puerto Rico, and part of the proceeds will go to arts and culture groups devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Miranda said that singing the song “Hurricane” during the show was particularly difficult with the feeling of Hurricane Maria all around.

“It was very hard to sing that here in Puerto Rico because you know better than I what it is to survive a hurricane. I feel like I’m going back to Maria a little bit every time I sing it.”

Adding to the significance of the debut in Puerto Rico was the presence of Ron Chernow, the writer of the Hamilton biography which inspired the musical, in the audience.

It was important to Miranda that everyone who wanted to see Hamilton could do so, with tickets priced from $10 to $5000. Chernow says that it was special to see the musical on stage in Puerto Rico.

“There was an extra passion and pain and sadness and beauty that he brought to his character,” Chernow said. “This was no ordinary performance tonight.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose parents are both from the island, has been at the forefront of support and fundraising in Puerto Rico, even creating a charity single featuring the voices of others who wanted to lend their support, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.

Miranda wrote the single as an ode or love letter to his ancestral homeland.

“It’s a love letter to Puerto Rico. I had the idea at 3 in the morning … The initial demo was me singing in a bathroom.”

The writer and director said he was pleased with the eagerness with which everyone was willing to participate.

“[I] called every Puerto Rican I know [to sing on the song]. To every artist, I’ve said, ‘Can you help out on this song?’ And they said yes. Without even hearing the song, everyone’s joined in.”

Miranda explained that as a child, he spent summers on the island with his grandparents, and to him, this event has so much meaning.

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