Hamilton鈥檚 cross over appeal hit late night October 8 when Saturday Night Live welcomed Lin-Manuel Miranda as host.
The episode was studded with moments that had theatre people cheering.
Miranda Takes His Shot
Hamilton loomed large from the start. Miranda remarked that Hamilton was 鈥渙ne of the biggest hits ever on Broadway, so that means most of you watching at home have no idea who I am.鈥� He also urged election-weary viewers to go see Hamilton, describing it as 鈥渁 nice escape from all the craziness in our world right now. It鈥檚 about two famous New York politicians locked in a dirty, ugly, mud-slinging political campaign. Escapism!鈥�
He then launched into a revamped 鈥淢y Shot鈥� for his opening monologue. 鈥淢y name is Lin-Manuel, I am hosting SNL and I am not throwing away my shot... Imma go for broke and do it all tonight, take a swing, pass the baton, gimme the ball tonight.鈥�
Not throwin' away his shot.
鈥� Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl)
Donald Trump鈥檚 incendiary comments kept SNL writers busy over the last 24 hours, and even Miranda made room to reference the presidential candidate during his opening rap. Picking up another line from Hamilton as he passed a photo of Trump in a backstage hallway, Miranda stopped to rap, 鈥淣ever gon鈥� be president now!鈥�
The Crucible Cast Party
Theatre kids got a shout-out in this on-point spoof of a high school cast party. Old age makeup, Chicago choreography, a Godspell t-shirt and a 鈥淪easons of Love鈥� reference (not to mention a souvenir program that tipped its hat to a 半岛体育) = standing ovation.
The Music Man
Miranda rolled on stage as Harold Hill in a Music Man sketch that skewered the recent Wells Fargo banking scandal. A voiceover welcoming viewers to The Music Man broadcast quipped, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e watching, you鈥檙e either an old woman or a young gay man.鈥� A production number of 鈥淭he Wells Fargo Wagon鈥� was a highlight, but Miranda won the sketch with the line 鈥淚鈥檒l shipoopi my pants.鈥�
Stranger Things
A theatrical Easter egg was dropped for Broadway fans in a sketch that offered a sneak peek at season two of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. Dressed in a trucker hat and riding a bike, Miranda played Dustin, one of the show鈥檚 kid heroes. In the actual series Dustin is played by Gaten Matarazzo, a young actor who was most recently seen as Gavroche in the Broadway revival of Les Mis茅rables.
Singin鈥� in the Rain
Even his SNL portraits were theatrical. In a nod to Gene Kelly in Singin鈥� in the Rain, the shot captures an umbrella-toting Miranda dancing in a downpour.
Lin-Manuel Miranda. Saturday Night Live.
鈥� Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical)
