Michelle Obama to Host Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ at the White House
Broadway megahit “Hamilton” is heading next week to the White House, where the show’s creators and cast will test out plans for the production’s robust educational initiatives as part of a D.C. visit to be hosted by first lady Michelle Obama.
“Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda announced the trip, scheduled for March 16, in a video segment of #Ham4Ham, the digital equivalent of the skits and performances Miranda and others used to perform live for the long line of theatergoers hoping to score lottery tickets to Broadway’s hottest show.
The White House visit will include opening remarks by the first lady, a Q&A with members of the “Hamilton” cast and an afternoon performance of selections from the show. It’s not the first time “Hamilton” has received a White House spotlight: In May 2009, Miranda performed a song then titled “The Hamilton Mixtape,” which went on to become the opening number of “Hamilton.”
“Hamilton,” a hip-hop, racially diverse retelling of America’s Founding Fathers, has an obvious appeal for educators as a palatable entree into U.S. history. To help New York City students gain access to what is Broadway’s most impossible ticket, “Hamilton” teamed with the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gilder Lehrman Institute on a $1.46 million initiative that will include a series of Wednesday matinees offering $10 tickets to New York City students.
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