A timeline of ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway and beyond
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Pulitzer-winning blockbuster musical about American history celebrates 10 years on the New York stage in 2025.
History has its eyes on Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit musical about Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers, marks a major milestone in January 2025. January 20, to be exact, is the 10-year anniversary of the show’s first Off-Broadway performance, which paved the way for Broadway — where Hamilton will also celebrate its 10th anniversary in July — and its status as a cultural phenomenon.
Inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography Alexander Hamilton, composer, lyricist, and book writer Miranda ingeniously combined hip-hop, R&B, and traditional Broadway sounds with a diverse cast to chart Hamilton’s journey from an immigrant who gets things done to a key figure in shaping the budding nation of America.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, look back on the illustrious history of a musical that went from a creative idea to a non-stop global sensation.
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2008: Lin-Manuel Miranda gets the idea for Hamilton
While vacationing in Mexico during a much-needed break from his Tony-winning Best Musical In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda read Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton. Out of the doorstop-sized 818-page book leapt the idea to turn the American statesman’s life story into a musical.
“The moment my brain got a moment’s rest, Hamilton walked into it,” Miranda once said.
2009: Miranda performs "Alexander Hamilton" at the White House
On May 12, 2009, Miranda was invited to perform a song from In the Heights for Former President Obama and others at the White House. Instead, he performed a draft of the opening number from his new show-in-progress – then called The Hamilton Mixtape – at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word. He was accompanied by music director Alex Lacamoire.
Four years later, in 2013, a workshop presentation of the first act was staged at Vassar College.
February 2015: Hamilton premieres off Broadway
Hamilton’s first performance took place off Broadway at The Public Theater on January 20, 2015, before an official opening on February 17. Directed by Thomas Kail, the show closed its limited run on May 3 after extending twice due to popular demand.
In a five-star review on New York Theatre Guide, our critic called the production "a surging musical adventure" and continued, "This is a musical that stands on the shoulders of the artists past, stretches out its arms and pulls us all up into a new territory."
July 2015: Hamilton premieres on Broadway
Hamilton launched on Broadway July 13 on at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. On August 6, the hip-hop history lesson, as it has been called, officially opened to raves. In its five-star review, New York Theatre Guide's critic cheered: “This is not a show that you sit and watch. It is a show that takes you by the hand and pulls you into its embrace.”
February 2016: Hamilton wins a Grammy Award
Released in September 2015, the original Broadway cast recording won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The recording, packed with earworms like “Satisfied,” “Wait for It,” and “My Shot,” bested the cast albums of An American in Paris, Fun Home, The King and I, and Something Rotten!
April 2016: Hamilton wins the Pulitzer Prize
On April 18, 2016, Hamilton was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The jury called the show “a landmark American musical about the gifted and self-destructive founding father whose story becomes both contemporary and irresistible.”
June 2016: Hamilton wins big at the Tony Awards
Hamilton went into the the 70th Tony Awards, presented at the Beacon Theatre on June 12, with a record-setting 16 nominations. The show took home 11: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction (Thomas Kail), Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler), Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire), three acting awards (Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom, Jr.), and two design awards (costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Howell Binkley).
Such a sweep was expected; some fans began calling the 2016 ceremony "the Hamiltonys" before it even happened.
September 2016: Hamilton debuts in Chicago
Hamilton didn’t throw away its shot to expand its footprint. The show breezed into the Windy City for a sit-down engagement, the first presentation of the must-see musical beyond New York. The production ran from September 16, 2016 to January 5, 2020.
In April 2019, Hamilton: The Exhibition, an immersive pop-up installation about the “$10 Founding Father,” opened in Chicago for a four-month run.
December 2016: The Hamilton Mixtape debuts
December 2, 2016 saw the release of The Hamilton Mixtape, a collection of covers, reimaginings, and alternate versions of Hamilton songs by artists including Common, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Nas, and John Legend. With a title mirroring Hamilton's original working title, the recording shot to the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
March 2017: U.S. touring production kicks off
With the launch of the touring company production of the show in San Francisco in advance of cities around the country, there were more chances to be in the room where Hamilton happened. Subsequent tours covered more North American cities as well as Australia.
December 2017: Hamilton premieres in London
Hamilton's U.K. premiere began December 16, 2017 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End, where the musical epic is still running. “This show may be about history, but it also makes history itself,” London Theatre's critic raved in a five-star review. The show went on to win seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.
2019: Hamilton opens in Puerto Rico
Miranda reprised his Tony-nominated performance in Hamilton's title role for this presentation that ran January 11-27. The performance celebrated Puerto Rican culture, resilience, and pride, and it raised recovery funds following Hurricanes Irma and María.
2020: Hamilton film capture premieres
On July 3, a film capture of a Hamilton performance featuring the original Broadway cast was released on Disney+. The recording, taped at the Rodgers in June 2016, was initially planned for theatrical release. It was moved to the streaming platform due to the Covid-19 pandemic that temporarily shuttered Broadway in March 2020.
The Hamilton film was recognized by the American Film Institute and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), among other accolades.
2021: Hamilton reopens on Broadway
On September 14, Hamilton resumed its run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre after pausing amid the pandemic. Speaking to NPR, Miranda expressed delight that the show could “be experienced the way it was meant to, live in front of an audience, the final collaborator every night."
2022: Hamilton opens in Germany – in German
In October 2022, after Sera Finale and Kevin Schroeder worked on the translation for four years, a German-language version of Hamilton opened in Hamburg. The award-winning run lasted a year, and it was the first official Hamilton production in a non-English language.
2023-24: Hamilton expands its international reach
Having previously premiered in Canada in 2020 and Australia in 2021, Hamilton continued to reach global audiences. In September 2023, the show began a 10-week run in Manila, Philippines, and in January 2024, Hamilton came to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
January 2025: Hamilton celebrates 10-year anniversary
“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” The show’s closing number poignantly raises this rich and resonant theme. As Hamilton marks 10 years since its first-ever performance, it continues to cement its legacy as a modern theatrical masterpiece that leaves audiences “Satisfied.”
July 2025: Hamilton turns 10 on Broadway
Wait for it! On July 13, Miranda’s renowned megamusical marks its 10th anniversary on Broadway. Oh, to be in the room at the Richard Rodgers Theatre when it happens.
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Photo credit: Hamilton. (Photos by Joan Marcus and Matthew Murphy)
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