Laurie KenneyOn Friday, October 21, at 9 p.m., PBS will debut Hamilton's America, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the smash musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda '02. The documentary is directed by Miranda's Wesleyan roommate, Alex Horwitz '02, and features footage from the Broadway show along with interviews with Miranda, Hamilton director Thomas Kail '99, and an array of others, including President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Questlove, Black Thought, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Sondheim, and more.
Olivia DrakeWesleyan alumnus Lin-Manuel Miranda '02, Hon. '15, hosted the Oct. 8 Saturday Night Live and opened with a remixed version of Hamilton's "My Shot."
Hamilton, written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. '15 and directed by Thomas Kail ’99, won 11 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Kail), Best Actor in a Musical, Best Book (Miranda), Best Original Score (Miranda), Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Orchestrations, at the 70th Annual Tony Awards ceremony held at the Beacon Theater in New York on June 12. The award-winning musical, which tells the story of the life of…
Hamilton, written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 and directed by Thomas Kail ’99, received a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations on May 3, including nods for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Kail) Best Actor in a Musical (Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr.), Best Book (Miranda), Best Original Score (Miranda), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (three nominations), Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Orchestrations. The 16 total nominations broke the previous record of 15, shared by Billy Elliot (2009) and The Producers (2001). The Producers holds the current record for most Tony Award wins for a musical, with a total of 12.