If you’ve heard of "Hamilton," then you’ve probably heard of the ever so popular Ham4Ham lottery show. For the past year, "Hamilton" creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda has taken the streets several times a week to offer free mini-performances for fans during the $10 lottery drawings. Performances have ranged from freestyle rapping, to singalong competitions, to spoofs on "Hamilton" and other musicals. And not only does the cast of "Hamilton" get involved, but so do many members of the Broadway community, including the cast of "Fiddler on the Roof," Patti LuPone, Matthew Morrison, the New York City Ballet, and many, many others. In celebration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s last week at Hamilton and the passing over of the Ham4Ham torch to current King George III, Rory O’Malley, here’s my countdown of the Top 10 Live Ham4Ham Performances.
10. The Confrontation with Kyle Jean-Baptiste and Lin-Manuel Miranda
In August, Lin's dreams came true when he got to perform "The Confrontation" from Les Miserables with Kyle-Jean Baptiste, the youngest, as well as the first African American actor to play Jean Valjean on Broadway. Unfortunately, Kyle suddenly passed away shortly after appearing at Ham4Ham, but this video serves as an example of his legacy in the Broadway community.
9. Kelli O'Hara
Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara stopped by the Richard Rodgers to perform two very contrasting pieces- "I Need Love" by LL Cool J (with beat boxing provided by Lin), and Somebody, Somewhere from "The Most Happy Fella."
8. #Tveitforit
Lin teased for months on Twitter that Broadway favorite Aaron Tveit would make an appearance at Ham4Ham, but told us we would have to #Tveitforit. No one expected him to make a surprise appearance interrupting Rory O'Malley's performance of Turn it Off from "The Book of Mormon"bysinging I'm Alive from "Next to Normal." Watch this epic mashup unfold.
7. In the Heights Reunion
Original "Hamilton" and "In the Heights" cast members Christopher Jackson, Jon Rua, Javier Muñoz, Seth Stewart, and of course Lin-Manuel Miranda are joined by Karen Olivio (the original Vanessa in "In the Heights"), for a mini-reunion to perform the song "96,000."
6. Alex Lacamoire and The Hamilton Orchestra
The Hamilton Orchestra, led by musical director and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire, comes out of the pit and onto the steps of the Richard Rodgers for a very special performance of Hamilton's play off music medley.
5. The Hamilton Children
Although Phillip Hamilton is the only child of Alexander and Eliza to appear in the show, the Hamiltons had eight children in real life. With help from Morgan Marcell and the cast of "Fun Home," the seven remaining Hamilton children's stories get told through rap.
4. Lin-Manuel & The Skivvies
Lin is joined by his “favorite band that performs in their underwear", The Skivvies, to perform a medley of OutKast songs, including "Hey Ya!" and "Bombs Over Baghdad". And yes, Lin is performing in his Hamilton costume shirt and American flag leggings. How can it get better than that?
3. The Schuyler Georges
Jonathan Groff, Brian d’Arcy James, and Andrew Rannells, the first three actors to have played the role of King George, team up to perform a lip-synced gender-swapped version of The Schuyler Sisters. They are joined by Renée Elise Goldsberry, who takes on the role of Aaron Burr.Work!
2. On Your Feet
The cast of the Gloria Estefan musical "On Your Feet," which plays next door to "Hamilton," visits to perform "Carnival del Barrio" (performed by In the Heights alum Andrea Burns) and "Tradición". Lin also dances, and it brings me so much joy every time I watch it.
1. The Ladies of Hamilton sing "My Shot"
Lin promised that for this Ham4Ham, he would pull out all the stops. And he sure did. The ladies of "Hamilton" perform their epic version of My Shot, and features Morgan Marcell as Hamilton, Jasmine Cephas Jones as Laurens, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Lafayette, and Betsy Struxness as Mulligan.
Now these are just ten of my favorite performances, but there are tons more to watch on YouTube! They can be found on the official Hamilton YouTube channel or on Howard Sherman's channel.
To close this article out, I wanted to include Lin's last ever Ham4Ham from this past week, where he reads a 1780 letter from Alexander to Eliza.
Thank you Lin for everything that is the Ham4Ham show. Happy trails!