Hamilton made Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, and now he’s revisiting the role to help the arts in Puerto Rico.
For the first time since leaving the original Broadway cast of the Tony award-winning musical Hamilton in 2016, Miranda, 38, will reprise the role of Alexander Hamilton for 24 performances at the University of Puerto Rico that aim to uplift in the area ravaged by Hurricane Maria.
The musical tells the story of Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary.
“Bringing Hamilton to Puerto Rico is a dream that I’ve had since we first opened at The Public Theater in 2015,” Miranda said. “When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role. In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”
The production is offering 10,000 tickets at the price of $10 for Puerto Rico residents.
To coincide with the show, Miranda has co-launched The Flamboyan Arts Fund, dedicated to preserving, amplifying, and sustaining the arts in Puerto Rico. All profits from Hamilton‘s Puerto Rico performances will go towards the fund.
“Time is of the essence,” said Miranda. “It’s a struggle to be an arts organization anywhere, particularly on an island that’s been hurt by one of the worst hurricanes in history. I believe art helps us survive. We can’t wait for Puerto Rico to recover to then support the arts because there is no telling when that will be. We need to support the artists who are out there now. We need to have their backs.”
A $10 donation to the Flamboyan Arts Fund at Prizeo.com/Ham4PR will enter you into a contest where one winner and a guest will win VIP tickets to opening night of Hamilton in Puerto Rico.
Enter until October 29, 2018.
Also included are tickets to the opening night after-party with Miranda and the cast, and a signed and framed photo with him, in addition to roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations in San Juan.
Multiple other surprise rewards will also be announced throughout the duration of the campaign, which runs until Oct. 29.
The musical won 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Score, Book of a Musical, Direction of a Musical, Choreography, and Orchestrations.
In the wake of Hurricane Maria, many have called on Congress to make Puerto Rico the 51st state.