One of the most anticipated part of the 2025 Tony Awards was the Hamilton performance, in celebration of the show's 10th anniversary and featuring the original cast. While a reunion performance feels like a no-brainer (especially from a ratings perspective), according to creator/original star Lin-Manuel Miranda, the performance actually came together quite quickly.
, Miranda explained that he first had the idea for a reunion at the Tonys "a few months ago...A few days later, I had an epiphany in the shower: we start with [Hamilton and Burr] at the top of 'Nonstop,' into a medley, and then morph 'History Has Its Eyes on You' into the END of 'Nonstop'...So 'Nonstop' is the bread, and we just have to figure out what goes in the sandwich. It writes itself!�
Miranda brought the idea to Hamilton's creative team: director Thomas Kail, director Andy Blankenbuehler, and music director Alex Lacamoire. Blankenbuehler then said, “Yeah, Lin. But…it doesn’t STAGE itself.� The team quickly got to work, with Kail featuring a way to stage the performance, Lacamoire putting together a demo of the medley for the cast to rehearse to, and costume designer Paul Tazewell sourcing black outfits inspired by the cast's original costumes. David Korins and Daniel Brodie even created custom lighting for the performance (adds Miranda: "RIP Howell Binkley, our lighting designer, who carved with light and is so missed").
The cast had less than a week to learn the performance, rehearsing June 5, 6, and 8: "Thursday vocals with most of the cast. Friday we got up on our feet, where we added [Leslie Odom, Jr.] and [Jonathan Groff], Sunday morning dress rehearsal, where we added [Anthony Ramos]."
Concludes Miranda: "The joy was indescribable. The joy continues. I always dreamed we’d all get back in the room together, I never dreamed how much more fun it would be with nothing to prove and everything to celebrate Grateful to all of you. Here’s to 10 more years."
It shows just how memorable Miranda and Blankenbuehler's work was, that 10 years later, the cast still remembered the lines and choreography. See the reunion performance below. And scroll down to see the original Hamilton cast rehearse the medley.
Performing a medley of "Non-Stop," "My Shot," “The Schuyler Sisters,� “Guns and Ships,� “You’ll Be Back,� “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),� “The Room Where It Happens,� and “History Has Its Eyes on You� were original Hamilton company members Miranda as well as Carleigh Bettiol, Andrew Chappelle, Ariana DeBose, Alysha Deslorieux, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Sydney James Harcourt, Neil Haskell, Sasha Hutchings, Christopher Jackson, Thayne Jasperson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Stephanie Klemons, Morgan Marcell, Javier Muñoz, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Phillipa Soo, Seth Stewart, Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes, Anthony Ramos, and Voltaire Wade-Greene.
See photos from rehearsal below.
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, and Jasmine Cephas Jones
Ariana DeBose
Lin-Manuel Miranda and company of Hamilton
Company of Hamilton
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and Jasmine Cephas Jones
Daveed Diggs, Ariana DeBose, and company of Hamilton
Company of Hamilton
Phillipa Soo
Christopher Jackson and company of Hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda and company of Hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda and company of Hamilton
Leslie Odom, Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Phillipa Soo, and company of Hamilton
Okieriete Onaodowan and company of Hamilton
Stephanie Klemons, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Morgan Marcell
