Displaying items by tag: Lin Manuel Miranda

Nearly a decade after it first upended the American musical, Hamilton returns to Chicago’s CIBC Theatre as part of Broadway In Chicago’s 2026 season, and its cultural voltage hasn’t dimmed one bit. Inspired by Ron Chernow’s book, Alexander Hamilton, Lin‑Manuel Miranda’s genre‑shifting epic — part biography, part political thriller, part hip‑hop opera — still hits with the force of a story determined to be heard. Having seen it in its inaugural year, I can say this revival lands even sharper, richer, and more assured than ever.

Alexander Hamilton didn’t just witness the birth of the United States — he helped engineer its architecture. As a delegate at the Constitutional Convention, he argued fiercely for a unified national government, and though not the primary drafter, he became one of its most influential defenders, authoring the majority of The Federalist Papers to secure the Constitution’s ratification. His imprint only deepened from there: he built the nation’s financial system from the ground up, established the U.S. Treasury, championed a national bank, and laid the groundwork for the country’s credit, industry, and economic identity. In Hamilton, these achievements aren’t treated as dry civics lessons but as the combustible fuel of a man determined to transform a fragile collection of states into a functioning nation — a legacy as complicated as it is foundational. The musical captures not just his ascent, but the way his ideas became the scaffolding of a country still deciding what it wanted to be.

Through songs like “My Shot,” “The Room Where It Happens,” and “Hurricane,” Miranda reframes the Founding Fathers not as marble statues but as flawed, hungry, deeply human figures fighting to define a nation and themselves. What Miranda is ultimately trying to convey — and what this production underscores beautifully — is that America’s story has always been messy, contested, and built by people who rarely saw themselves as the heroes of their own narrative.

Director Thomas Kail’s staging remains a masterclass in kinetic storytelling. The turntable choreography, the razor‑sharp transitions, and the way bodies carve through space all contribute to a sense of history constantly in motion. Under his direction, the show feels both epic and immediate — a revolution unfolding in real time.

l-r-Tyler Fauntleroy as Alexander Hamilton and A.D. Weaver as George Washington in Hamilton at CIBC Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus.

What continues to astonish about Hamilton is how much storytelling power resides in its deceptively simple visual world. David Korins’ now‑iconic set — all timber, ropes, brickwork, and scaffolding — frames the action like an unfinished nation still under construction. The exposed architecture becomes a living metaphor for the country Hamilton is trying to build, while the revolving stage keeps history literally turning beneath the actors’ feet. Paul Tazewell’s costumes layer silhouettes with subtle modern inflections, allowing the cast to move with the velocity the score demands while still grounding the story in its 18th‑century roots. The palette shifts almost imperceptibly as alliances form and fracture, and the contrast between the Schuyler sisters’ elegance, the soldiers’ grit, and King George’s absurd opulence adds texture to every scene. Together, the set and costumes create a world that feels both historical and urgently contemporary — a perfect visual match for Miranda’s reimagined revolution.

This Chicago cast brings its own intensity. The Chicago engagement of Hamilton boasts a powerhouse company led by Tyler Fauntleroy, who delivers a relentless, razor‑sharp Alexander Hamilton—equal parts tactician, poet, and live wire. His performance feels carved from pure momentum, capturing both Hamilton’s brilliance and his self‑destructive drive. Opposite him, Jimmie “J.J.” Jeter turns in a magnetic, exquisitely controlled Aaron Burr, layering charm, calculation, and simmering envy into a portrayal that peaks beautifully in a soul‑baring “Wait For It” and a show‑stopping “The Room Where It Happens.” Lauren Mariasoosay brings warmth, emotional clarity, and a quiet steel to Eliza Hamilton (through April 12th), while Amanda Simone Lee commands the stage with fierce intelligence and vocal fire as Angelica Schuyler. Lily Soto shifts effortlessly between the wide‑eyed innocence of Peggy Schuyler and the seductive, wounded edge of Maria Reynolds through April 12th, with Nadina Hassan stepping into the roles beginning April 14th. A true force, A.D. Weaver anchors the production with statesmanlike gravitas as George Washington, and Christian Magby all but steals the show with his dual swagger as Lafayette and Jefferson—two performances so distinct they feel like separate universes. Nathan Haydel brings youthful fire and heartbreaking vulnerability to both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, while Eddie Ortega grounds the ensemble with muscular presence as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. And rounding it out, Matt Bittner delivers a perfectly petty, wickedly funny King George III, milking every entrance for maximum delight, stealing the moment with a perfectly calibrated blend of comedy and menace in “You’ll Be Back.”.

Musically, the production remains a marvel. The blend of hip‑hop, R&B, traditional musical theatre, and lyrical density still feels revolutionary, and the orchestra at the CIBC gives the score a muscular, propulsive energy. Even familiar numbers feel newly alive in this space. The production is expansive and brimming with moments that land with exhilarating force.

The run at the CIBC Theatre continues through April 26th, giving audiences a generous window to revisit — or finally experience — the show that redefined what Broadway could be.

In a city that knows its way around bold storytelling, Hamilton still stands out. It’s a reminder that history is not a fixed monument but a living argument — and that the voices shaping it are far more diverse, complicated, and compelling than the textbooks ever let on. Whether you’re seeing it for the first time or the fifth, this production makes the revolution feel brand new.

Highly recommended.

For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

On any given day, when I walk out my front door, I’d see a quiet suburban street. Most families stay within their, rarely venturing out unless the temperature is a cool-but-warm 70 degrees, content with their healthy skepticism of their neighbors, keeping to surface level ‘how-do-you dos’ or ‘how-is-the-family?’ There’s not a sense of engagement let alone community.  The concept of community is an abstract one but something that people crave, something they need in their lives. But what makes a community?The places?The familiarity or the routine? The melding of business and residential living? Or is it the people? These are the questions that come up when viewing the exceptional Broadway National Tour of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In The Heights, now playing at Marriot Theatre.

In The Heights takes place on a hot and sweaty day in the summer of 2008 in Washington Heights, New York City. On a corner bodega, Usnavi de la Vega, welcomes us to his neighborhood and introduces us to his community. We meet Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood’s resident matriarch and grandmother who raised Usnavi, and Sonny, Usnavi’s cousin, Daniela and Carla, local salon owners, Kevin and Camila Rosario, who manage a cab service, and Vanessa, Usnavi’s crush who wants out of the barrio, the Rosario’s daughter Nina who is returning home from Stanford with a secret, and runs into Benny, his father’s employee at the cab service. As the community moves about their day, we see the struggles and challenges each person faces in and out of the barrio; feeling unwelcome, discriminated against, cut down, undervalued. Amidst their own personal crises, the neighborhood itself is under attack from gentrification, businesses being bought out for cheap by big realestate investors, eager to remove teh culture and heart of the neighborhood. As the heat rises, passions and tempers flare, and the barrio goes dark, a once in a lifetime occurence changes the trajectory of the neightbod, uniting them in ways that allow them to move forward together towards a bright future. 

The Marriot Theatre continues to produce incredible shows each season and finds exceptional local talent that rivals any NYC Broadway cast. There was not a single member of the ensemble cast of In The Heights that was not talented beyond measure, their energy and vibrancy pulling you in and bringing you along for the entirety of the 2 hr and 20 min run time. Start with the captivating Joseph Morales as our narrator, Usnavi with Paola V. Hernández spicy and vulnerable Vanessa, add in the singing talents of Yasir Muhammad and Addie Morales as the young lovers, Benny and Nina, mix in the humor of  Jordan Arredondo as Benny with the heart of Crissy Guerrero’s  Abuela Claudia, and finally throw in smooth-as-honey vocals from Lillian Castillo, Andres J DeLeon and the sexy and rhythmic dance moves of Wesley J Barnes and Kiana Rodriguez and you have an ensemble case ready to step onto Broadway and sweep the Tony’s. The cast was energtic, fun, passionate, and heartfelt, and truly made the audience long to be part of such a community.  In The Heights features a live orchestra secretly nestled within the 360 degree theatre. The immersive stage allows the audience to feel like they are a member of the cast, every angle and corner utilized to portray the NYC neighborhood. The lighting, the music, the staging, everything was en pointe for this production of In The Heights. Chicago theatre lovers will be remiss to not see such a whirlwind portrayal of what is sure to be a play with lasting staying power. 

The portrayal of community within the play is one of shared struggles and successes. When Nina returns home from Stanford, feeling like she has lost her way, her community reminds her of her talent and prowess. Nina herself is reminded of not only where she comes from, but where her parents came from to build a foundation to give her a better life. She’s able to refocus and ground herself, and find her way again. After Usnavi’s bodega is looted, Sonny enlists the help of Graffiti Pete, played by Phillip Wood, to symbolize home and community on the bodega’s gate, signifying to Usnavi where his heart has been all along, right there in the barrio with his chosen family. Director James Vásquez says it best, “with the help of Lin Manuel Miranda’s brilliant and specific score, which has changed the idea of what musical theatre can be, we zoom in to get a closer look at one particular community. They fight to remember who they are where they come from, but also look to the future and dream of who they can become.” If a neighborhood is a body, the bodega would be the head, but the people would be the heart, and that is the true essence of In The Heights. Community is about what you make it to be, and who makes up that heart.

Though my community isn’t nearly as engaging or centric as the one portrayed in In The Heights, I walked away from Marriot Theatre feeling light, hopeful, and a part of a larger community than just what makes up my cul-du-sac. The Chicago Theatre community is supportive, vibrant, and diverse. They lift each other up and come together to experience real, authentic voices. The community is welcoming and fun and one that draws me back in every time. Not every community is made up of a corner store or city block, or even a quiet tree-lined street in greater Chicagoland. There are thousands of communities to discover in Chicagoland and beyond. Whatever makes up your community, I hope it is filled with love, hope, happiness, and has a soundtrack that Lin Manuel Miranda himself would be envious of. 

In The Heights runs through March 17th at The Marriot Theatre at 10 Marriott Dr, Lincolnshire. Tickets are available at www.marriottheatre.com.