Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and original star of “Hamilton,” will return to the title role when the Broadway smash plays a three-week run in Puerto Rico in early 2019. Miranda, who is Puerto Rican-American, said the devastation of Hurricane Maria had increased the urgency of an already pre-existing plan to bring the show to San Juan.
“When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role,” Miranda said. “In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”
A Puerto Rican run of the biggest Broadway hit in years looks poised to give a shot in the arm to the local economy, which is still struggling to recover from Maria.
“Hamilton” will play at Teatro UPR on the University of Puerto Rico campus in San Juan. The venue has recently been home to Spanish-language productions of “Evita,” “Into the Woods,” and “Master Class,” among other shows. The show’s Broadway producers, led by Jeffrey Seller, will co-present “Hamilton” there with the Acisum Group. “Hamilton,” with Miranda in the lead, runs Jan. 8-27 at Teatro UPR. No further casting has been set.
