Photo Credit: David Needleman for New York Times
Hey Hamilton fans. Let’s talk. Yes, we know, you’ve heard it all before and can recite every word by heart, but as the song goes: “You’ll be back.” Even without its original mega-star cast, Hamilton is still a box-office smash and takes the audience’s breath away. Read on to find out more about why you might want to revisit this very accessible Broadway gem.
You Want a Revolution; I Want a Revelation
Hamilton debuted in 2015 and changed the Broadway genre forever. It took an arguably “boring” subject—the biography of the United States’ first Secretary of Treasury—and turned into something phenomenal. Besides creating a Hip Hop soundtrack and rapping the entire show, writer Lin-Manuel Miranda famously cast people of color to play major figures from the American Revolution: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Angelica Schuyler, Marquis de Lafayette. It brought people you learned about in 7th grade Civics or APUSH text books to life, and gave them some pretty fire choreography, too. And the writing has also taken a decade and repeat viewings for many to unpack. As critic David Fear wrote in a Rolling Stone profile in 2020, “I think people catch the surface layer of what’s going on in the plot … then they catch double meanings, and historical references, and hip hop references when they come back for a second.”
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
Hamilton hasn’t thrown away its hold on pop culture, even 10 years on. According to the Hollywood Reporter, ticket sales hit $3.8 million as of September 16, 2025. The show has always been relevant—think Weird Al making “Hamilton Polka,” the millions of TikTok parodies, Lin-Manuel Miranda dressed up as Alexander Hamilton for the 2025 SNL Cold Open last January, Renee Elise and Christopher Jackson—both Hamilton stars—turning up at Yankees games this month to sing the National Anthem and throw out the first pitch. But this year would be an especially epic time to get yourself across that 32 mile stretch from JCHS to the Richard Rodgers Theater in NYC. An original cast member is back! Leslie Odom Jr. originated the role of Aaron Burr (the “damn fool that shot him”), and he returns this fall for a 12-week limited run. Odom Jr. told Playbill: “I’m having a great time. I’m celebrating this show now, most nights, with 1,400 people that love this thing as much as I do.” He went on to contrast this feeling with the “tension” that characterized that first opening run back in 2015. Translation? Odom Jr. says they bring a “party” nightly with each performance. It’s a good season to live so close to Broadway and be here to see it!
Photo Caption: Even the MLB loves Hamilton (New York Yankees Official Instagram, July 16)
I Wanna Be In the Room Where It Happens: Summer Review
I saw Hamilton this summer and while it was before the return of Odom, Jr.’s reprisal of Burr, it was still a party.
As an avid Hamilton fan who has tracked cast changes, I can say each and every person cast brings their own unique perspective to the role, and it’s always exciting. Jared Dixon as Aaron Burr was definitely a change from when I saw Leslie Odom Jr., and some first impressions were that he was not bringing the same energy. However, he brought a mellowness to the character that resulted in a more intense and emotional Act II than the original, and I was happy to be in the audience over the summer when he brought Burr to life.
Consider this if you head to Hamilton 10 and it’s your very first musical: unlike other shows, with scenes where characters break out into song or have back and forth monologue moments, the characters rap or sing in every scene. This is often called a “sung-through musical.” Characters sing/rap fast, so it is sometimes hard to follow—especially if you haven’t been listening for a decade to the soundtrack. But fear not: it’s easy to adjust, and by “You’ll Be Back,” you’ll be ready to fall in love.
Sources Cited:
Broadway Box Office: ‘Hamilton’ Hits $3.8M As Leslie Odom Jr. Returns
Leslie Odom Jr. Reflects on Returning to Hamilton
https://playbill.com/article/watch-leslie-odom-jr.-reflects-on-returning-to-hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda on ‘Hamilton,’ Freestyle Love Supreme and What Comes Next
