'Hamilton' could make $1 billion — here's what you didn't know about the absurdly successful musical
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"Hamilton" is the most coveted Broadway show right now and tickets have been sold out months in advance.
The musical — created and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda — features a multiracial cast rapping and singing the story of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father and America's first secretary of the treasury.
It took six years for the musical to come together, but since it has, there is no stopping it now.
"Hamilton" won a Grammy earlier this year for best musical theater album and the cast performed at the White House for an education initiative. With an album that has reached gold status, a mixtape set for release later this year, and a recently released behind-the-scenes book (April 12), "Hamilton" is everywhere, even if you aren't one of the lucky ones able to secure (or afford) the exclusive tickets.
Celebrities and politicians, including Kerry Washington, Amy Schumer, and the Obamas, have been gushing about the show, and many have seen it more than once. Even presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders made time to see the musical while campaigning in New York City in April.
Here's what you should know about the hottest musical on Broadway:
Created and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical is based on "Hamilton," a biography about Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow.
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesMiranda read the entire biography while on vacation in Mexico in 2008, but he discussed the idea for a hip-hop musical based on Hamilton's life with Jeremy Carter, a former theater critic, a week before he even went on vacation.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for The New Yorker)Source: "Hamilton: The Revolution"
In 2009, Miranda performed a rough version of the first song that would eventually open the musical at the White House.
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