What medical issues? Was not aware of any (although I have to believe that he could collapse from exhaustion at some point given the pace of his life). He has to keep going – he doesn’t have an Oscar yet! Tongue in cheek, of course, it would be terrible if he were really ill.
@intparent:
This is what I get from getting stuff from my wife lol. Apparently, his understudy has been battling cancer, not Lin manuel Miranda, and may both stay free of cancer going forward.
The article I was reading about the understudy, who plays Hamilton in the Sunday performance, said that he didn’t want comparisons with Lin Manual Miranda, that he patterned his performance after the way Lin Manuel did it, and so forth. Apparently, after a Sunday performance, Mel Brooks came backstage to talk to him (the understudy), here is the clip:
"Then again, any comparisons between the two make him uncomfortable. “We work so hard and so well together that, in my mind, I find it almost impossible to separate our versions,” he says. (Well, maybe Mel Brooks can — or thinks he can. Muñoz says the “2,000-Year-Old Man” came backstage one Sunday and said, “So you’re better than him, right? Yeah, yeah, so he’s the writer, but you’re better!”)"lol
Collapse from exhaustion? Guess that’s what happens when you write (and perform and advocate for Puerto Rico) like you’re running out of time LOL
Seriously, though, Miranda is a genius and I hope we can look forward to many more great things from him (I hadn’t heard about health problems and hope he is OK).
I like some rap a lot (but don’t listen to it very much). I got into Hamilton because of my kids (it’s a huge “thing” at their HS), and I LOVE it (have listened to the soundtrack many times). Agree that you can follow the story by listening to the soundtrack (but be prepared to feel sad at the end!). Also agree that the music is varied and that many songs would appeal to people who don’t like rap (@2VU0609 & @Sportsman88 offer good suggestions).
Neither of my kids is particularly into rap, but they are obsessed with Hamilton (especially DS, who has loved U.S. colonial/revolutionary era history ever since he first heard “The Shot Heard Round The World” on Schoolhouse Rock… he loves the musical 1776 too).
OTOH, DH doesn’t like rap and doesn’t really like the Hamilton soundtrack (though he probably would like several of the songs in isolation). If I can ever get tickets, I won’t pressure him to come with us (why spend the $ if he doesn’t think he’ll enjoy it).
In general, I agree with @musicprnt that it “speaks to today” both musically and thematically (even if it doesn’t speak to everyone).
@musicprnt Thanks for posting the clarification that it was Miranda’s understudy with health problems (and I hope he is OK too!)
Yes, it’s Javier Munoz who was ill but he’s doing well and is performing. And he’s excellent. He may very well take over the role when Lin leaves at the end of July.
Both of them, however, in my opinion, pale in comparison to the performance Leslie Odom gives as Burr. 
It is funny, knowing the true history of it, I didn’t feel sad at the end. For a lot of reasons, the Historial Hamilton was not that sympathetic, he was a brilliant man in many ways (his economic analysis of the debt of the US states was brilliant, as was his method to bail the states out from their debts post the revolution), but his ambition also knew no bounds, and it could be argued Burr (not exactly a gem himself), did the country a favor when Hamilton was shot, Hamilton among other things several times was positioning himself to be a dictator, at one point he proposed leading an army into Mexico to get rid of the French, and his basic idea was having done that, lead the army back to the US and seize the government by coup (and this has been written about by a number of historians, Ellis biography of Washington, David McCollough mentioned it in his bio of Adams, bios of Hamilton and Burr both have mentioned it), Washington fortunately saw right through it and refused to allow him to do it, and later on he was maneuvering to try a legal coup, try get elected as president and have the federalist part basically grant him the rights of dictator and suspend the courts and the constitution, which while illegal, if he had the backing of the military, there would have been no one to challenge him (whether he could have gotten elected is problematic, or whether the federalist would have even backed him is unknown).
I wish I could say I’ve seen Hamilton, but I haven’t and who knows when I will be able to. By then, it won’t be the original incredible cast (though still great, I’m sure). My daughter saw it when it was at The Public Theater and on Broadway and of course, thought it was amazing. She knows several cast members and is friendly with Lin Manuel Miranda. I loved In The Heights. My D recently gave me the Hamilton album for Mother’s Day and I’m looking forward to listening, though I have heard several songs from it on Sirius radio, etc. I am always in awe of the creativity behind innovative shows like this one seems to be. (I also loved Hair and Rent which were mentioned a few posts ago). I think Lin is a genius. He certainly has inspired my own daughter who is also a musical theater performer and writer/composer/lyricist. Her goal is to be the female version of Lin (if she is 1% as successful as him, that will be something!). She is developing a new musical that is being commissioned by a producer I can’t name yet. It is also based on a historical event.
I, too, am not a big rap or hip-hop fan, but I am a huge fan of Hamilton (the musical), for several reasons:
• It totally lives up to the hype (few things ever do, and I’m not generally one to jump on bandwagons just because they are fashionable).
• As a musical, it is absolutely brilliant. The book is clever, the music fabulous, and the talent amazing. Put that together with great choreography, wonderful staging, beautiful costumes, interesting set design, etc., etc. and you’ve got a masterpiece! (And I don’t use that word lightly.)
• It is turning a generation of young people - including people of color - into fans of musical theatre and getting young people interested in history.
I was fortunate enough to get tickets back in September for a show in April. I see a LOT of theater (easily between 50 and 100 plays a year), and Hamilton is, without a doubt, the best thing I’ve seen in a very, very long time.
Hamilton inspires the young with its very modern sensibilities and multi-ethnic cast. A refreshing change, frankly, and one that gets white old farts like me excited as well.
Sadly, I doubt I will ever see it, unless it’s televised or turned into a movie… I will not pay hundreds of dollars to fly to NY for a play that also costs hundreds of dollars, even in the unlikely event tickets would be obtainable for mere mortals.
@soozievt, we need to get a secret system set up via cc for you to tip us off if your D’s development deal gets even a fraction of the success that Hamilton has had. With advance warning, some of us may be able to get in to see that one 
Good luck to her and to your family on the upcoming weddings!
I am not typically a fan of rap but love Hamilton. IMO it has captured people’s imaginations for many reasons - it has a combination of rap and more traditional theater music, brilliant acting/singing with a multi-racial cast, great costumes, set, choreography etc. Some amazing US history told in a fresh, updated way. As I’ve heard Lin-Manual Miranda say “it is the story of America then told by America now.” For these reasons many non-traditional theater goers are interested in this show which is a great thing for Broadway.
I have tickets in July and can’t wait.
For anyone who didn’t see the grammys watch this video…http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/15/11010890/hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-grammys-2016
@conmama Maybe watch the video above and see if you change your mind (of course it is fine either way)
@Ballerina016 I believe tix are sold through Jan, 2017. You can go to the show’s website and put our email address in to get notified when the next block of tickets goes on sale.
I immediately thought of Rent, too, as the last musical that generated this type of buzz. I think the wordplay/lyrics are so clever - that fascinates me.
DH is working on getting tix but he’s not telling me too much. I haven’t even heard the whole album but friends of mine who’ve seen it say the hype is real!
@intparent I think it already won the Pulitzer.
I’m mad that I missed this. When will the next block go on sale?
Lin Manuel Miranda did win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Hamilton. We saw the show in the last week of previews. The only reason I was on top of it was that my two sons were saying that they had tried to get tickets for it at the Public and had been unable to get them. Then, that week, my AmEx offers had tickets available and I snapped them up - I think I bought them in the spring for an August 3 performance! Well worth what I spent for 6 tickets and my kids have enjoyed the bragging rights they’ve had all year for having seen it.
I have been listening to the soundtrack all week and love it!
D and I are seeing Hamilton tonight!
I have not seen Hamilton or heard its music, but I do know know that it is possible even for someone who “doesn’t like rap” to appreciate that sort of music in the right context. An example is the movie “Hustle and Flow,” which I watched because of its great reviews and really, really liked.
I do not like rap and I love Hamilton. I listen to the cast recording every day. I’ve seen it once and will see it again later this year. The writing really is brilliant. Where else could you find lyrics like “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps ini its petty pace from day to day. I trust you’ll understand the reference to another Scottish tragedy without my having to name the play. They think me Macbeth, ambition is my folly I’m a polymath a pain in the ass…” Or “a civics lesson from a slaver, hey neighbor, your debts are paid cause you don’t pay for labor.” There are also non rap songs such as It’s quiet uptown which heartbreakingly describes the pain of losing child. You can download the lyrics to the entire album for free from Atlantic records.
Unfortunately lot of tickets are being snapped up by bots and then resold at exorbitant prices. If you want regularly priced tickets you need to be aware as soon as a new block is released and buy then. I think you can sign up on the website for updates. However, the most recent block that was released was announced on Twitter, I think.
I stand corrected on the Pulitzer. Now literally all that is left is an Oscar (as I don’t see a path to a Nobel in his future – but he is young, who knows?)
^^^^Lin-Minuel Miranda wrote the music for the new Disney animated movie coming out in Nov so an Oscar may be forthcoming. He also won the McArthur Genius award.
From his Wiki page, if LMM wins an Oscar he will become the third person to win a “PEGOT” The others are Richard Rodgers and Marvin Hamisch.