“Love is love is love is love is love, and love cannot be killed or swept aside” — Lin-Manuel Miranda
Not only did Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking play Hamilton sweep the 70th Tony Awards last night with 11 wins, including Best Musical, Miranda brings the audience to tears. It was Miranda’s emotion filled acceptance speech for Best Original Score which touched the audience when he read a sonnet which addressed the tragedy at the Pulse Club in Orlando, Florida.
The acceptance speech started with a tribute to his wife, touched upon the significance of Hamilton and ended as a powerful message of love for the Orlando victims.
“When senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised, not one day, the show is proof that history remembers we lived through times that hate and fear seem stronger,” Miranda passionately recited. When he came to the part of the sonnet that said, “Love is love is love is love is love, and love cannot be killed or swept aside,” the audience was moved to tears and on its feet.
Miranda, a playwright/composer/actor is a definitely talent to be reckoned with. He has continually demonstrated his talent (his play In The Heights was nominated for 13 Tonys winning four in 2008) and a passion for work and life. It is that passion which has made Hamilton, a musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, a critically acclaimed production and one of Broadway’s history highest grossing musical productions.
Recently when Miranda announced he would be leaving the show in July, ticket prices skyrocketed to an unheard of $10,000 per ticket on resell sites. After this win and Miranda’s acceptance speech, some with deep pockets might find it easier to dish out that kind of cash. But if you don’t have deep pockets, Hamilton starts touring in 2017 to cities across the country and although Miranda will not tour with the production, tickets are available for much less.
In addition to Hamilton winning the Tony for Best Musical, Miranda personally took home two award for Hamilton, in the Best Book of a Musical? and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre categories.
The other eight Tony Awards for Hamilton went to:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Leslie Odom Jr.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Daveed Diggs
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical ?Renée Elise Goldsberry
Best Costume Design of a Musical Paul Tazewell
Best Lighting Design of a Musical Howell Binkley
Best Direction of a Musical Thomas Kail
Best Choreography Andy Blankenbuehler
Best Orchestrations Alex Lacamoire
For a complete list of the 70th Tony Awards CLICK HERE
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