What do you deserve after six years of writing, over a year of performing, 16 Tony nominations, a Pulitzer Prize, and a life that has been turned upside-down and inside out from the masterpiece you’ve created? If you’re Lin Manuel Miranda, you deserve a break.
The mastermind between Broadway’s "Hamilton" is stepping down from the show’s title role on July 9 for a much-needed vacation and to work on other projects. People are understandably disappointed, all clamoring to see Miranda perform before he leaves. Orchestra tickets for his final performance are being sold for upwards of $5,000. The cancellation line now stretches 30 to 40 people deep on average, some even camping out at the theater. And there’s no doubt that the show’s daily online lottery entries have drastically increased. Still, even though Miranda’s departure is saddening, his farewell does have one silver lining: Javier Muñoz.
Muñoz is currently Miranda’s alternate, taking the reins of the show each Sunday. His interpretation of the 10-dollar founding father alone should assure "Hamilton" fans that the show is in good hands. The New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley lauded Muñoz as the “sexy Hamilton” after seeing his performance in November, praising the passion and edge that Muñoz brings to the role. He notes that the actor’s slight discomfort in the role, in comparison to Miranda’s ease, fits right into Hamilton’s try-hard and ambitious personality. Muñoz embodies the famous words “young, scrappy, and hungry.”
Still, for those unconvinced, Miranda reminded us all in a tweet this week that Muñoz helped him develop the role of Alexander Hamilton. Miranda called upon Muñoz for help in the project’s early stages, when it was still known as the Hamilton Mixtape. There, Muñoz gave not only valuable insight to the Hamilton’s character, among others, but to the flow of the show’s music and lyrics. Also, it’s worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Muñoz has taken over for Miranda. When Miranda departed from "In the Heights," Muñoz stepped into the major role of Usnavi, the show’s narrator and one of the main characters. Here, he gave the same wonderful energy and drive that we see from him in "Hamilton" each week.
Above all though, the central theme of "Hamilton" is legacy, about who lives, who dies, and who tells your story after you’ve gone to rest. If passing the torch to Javier Muñoz doesn’t embody the idea of legacy, then nothing does. As Miranda goes to rest, Muñoz will take the stage and add a depth to the character the likes of which we haven’t seen before. Not only is he completely prepared to take on the role, but he’s likely to continue the show’s whirlwind, meaning no, "Hamilton" tickets won’t be any easier to come by anytime soon.
