Let the “Hamilton” backlash begin!
Everybody on Broadway was snickering Tuesday at the self-importance of crew behind “Hamilton,” the hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton at the Public Theater.
Buying into their own hype, the “Hamiltonians” held a press conference in the lobby of the Public to announce that the show will move to the Richards Rodgers Theatre in July, making it ineligible for this year’s Tony Awards.
Let’s see. I don’t recall Hugh Jackman, Bradley Cooper or Helen Mirren holding press conferences about their Broadway engagements. And I think it’s safe to say they’re a bit more famous than “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his producer, Jeffrey Seller.
But there they were — accompanied, of course, by Public Theater chief Oskar Eustis — standing on a bar in the lobby of the theater proclaiming their brilliance.
(Somebody get me a drink, please.)
Eustis compared Miranda to Shakespeare.
Miranda, through tears, said he was “going back home to the Richard Rodgers,” where he won a Tony for his last show, “In the Heights.”
And Seller, according to my spy, “strutted around telling us how the timing is perfect for the Broadway transfer. God, he must be a frustrated actor.”
I don’t know about that, but he certainly was putting on a “false face,” to quote Shakespeare — I mean, Miranda.
Seller, as I reported last week, fought hard to get “Hamilton” to Broadway this spring so it could sweep the Tonys in June. But Miranda and director Tom Kail wanted more time to work on the show. The battles were “pretty heated,” said a source.
In the end, Seller folded.
The news that “Hamilton” won’t be in the hunt this season came as a relief to the producers of “Something Rotten!” and “Fun Home.” They were terrified of being bigfooted by “Hamilton.” Now both shows have a shot at the Tony for Best Musical.
I wouldn’t rule out “The Visit,” however. It could ride a wave of sentiment for its star, Chita Rivera, and its creators, John Kander and Fred Ebb, to Tony glory.
Seller is said to be confident that no show will rival “Hamilton” for the Tony in 2016.
But a lot can happen in a year. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s got a new show, “School of Rock,” opening at the Winter Garden, and I hear George C.
Wolfe is brewing up something exciting.
And let’s not forget “Moonshine: That Hee-Haw Musical.”
We’ll know more about that show soon.
Roy Clark, Buck Owens and Minnie Pearl are holding a press conference in Kornfield Kounty next week.