Lin-Manuel Miranda leads the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. (Photo : You Tube/Hamilton)
Lin-Manuel Miranda bids farewell to the cast and audience of the Broadway hit musical "Hamilton." The lead actor, who is also the stage play's creator and writer, performed for the last time on July 9 to a sold-out crowd that includes many VIPs.
Some of the people spotted in the audience at the Richard Rodgers Theatre were U.S. State Secretary John Kerry, Jane Fonda, Rosie O'Donnell, Jennifer Lopez, Edward Norton, Aaron Paul, Spike Lee, Mariska Hargitay and Charlie Rose. The Broadway production of "Hamilton" in New York has been consistently selling out its tickets throughout the season it was playing on stage.
Along with Miranda, original co-stars Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr. and ensemble member Ariana DeBose are also stepping down from the production. At the end of Saturday's performance, the four exiting members of the show bowed to the audience while Miranda's favorite "The West Wing" theme song plays in the background. Many were seen teary-eyed including Miranda.
"It was so emotional, the words, the music, the actors, the triumph," Lopez told The Hollywood Reporter. The former "American Idol" judge and Miranda recently paid tribute to the Orlando shooting victims and their families with a collaboration song titled "Love Make the World Go Round."
Lopez added that it is "now a part of Broadway history." She expressed how proud she is of Miranda and she said she happy that she was able to watch his last "Hamilton" performance with her children Maximilian David Muñiz and Emme Maribel Muñiz.
Not long after his last "Hamilton" performance, Miranda chopped off his long hair and now sporting a new look that will best suit his new character in the upcoming production of Disney's classic film "Mary Poppins Returns." Aside from a movie, the star will also focus on other projects as he leaves the Broadway.
According to Chicago Tribune, Javier Munoz will replace Miranda as Alexander Hamilton in the Chicago production of the successful musical. Munoz served as a standby actor for the lead role since the play started in 2015.
In June, "Hamilton" was nominated for 16 Tony Awards and it won 11 trophies including the Best Musical. It is also a recipient of a Grammy and Drama Desk awards for outstanding performances. Lastly, it has won the much-coveted Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Meanwhile, the Chicago production of the musical is opening in September and a national tour, which will kick-off in San Francisco, has been scheduled for March 2017. "Hamilton" may also make its debut in the international scene through the planned production in London.
Watch Today's report on Miranda's last performance as Alexander Hamilton:
