Lin-Manuel Miranda kicked off his shoes (to show off his “Sunday in the Park with George” socks), Chris Jones picked up a mic to beatbox and a few thousand lucky “Hamilton” fans gathered together in the sold-out room to hear where the conversation happened between Miranda and Jones on Friday night.
The creator of the megamusical that opens in previews in Chicago on Tuesday was at the Lyric Opera for “Lin-Manuel Miranda in Conversation with Chris Jones,” presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival and the Chicago Tribune.
Their conversation covered “Hamilton,” of course, but also veered into Miranda’s upbringing in Manhattan, his roots in Puerto Rico and tidbits including the making of the “Love is love is love” Tony Awards acceptance speech.
In the moment that received the biggest applause of the night, Miranda freestyled to a beat provided by Jones. Reading prompts on cue cards, Miranda hit Chicago theater, the Cubs, Chance the Rapper and pizza.
“He’s even got the breaks,” rapped Miranda. “Chris Jones has got what it takes.”
Also the Blues Brothers (who make Lin “shake his tooshie”) and Oprah (Miranda swept across the stage with, “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!”)
Earlier in the night, Miranda talked about the real Alexandar Hamilton, whom he met through reading Ron Chernow’s biography. Miranda paraphrased the section that caught his eye: “‘I may be said to be building castles in the air and I hope you won’t think less of me. But we have seen such schemes successful when the projector is constant. I shall conclude by saying that I wish there was a war.”‘ … that’s the best musical theater character you can hope for.”
About his upbringing in New York, Miranda said his first job was working at McDonald’s, with the shift beginning at 10 a.m. “I was the one you yelled at,” he said, “when you were too late for breakfast.”
He stays rooted by staying close to where he grew up, with the people who knew him when. The people who will help him out when he’s headed into a neighborhood store that doesn’t allow puppies.
“Relax Usnavi,” Miranda recounted a “construction dude” saying to him, calling him by the name of the lead character in his first Broadway musical “In the Heights.” “I’ll hold him ’til you get back.”
Miranda also spoke about his connection to Puerto Rico, speaking of his trips there as a young person, swapping him between that country and Manhattan.
“It’s an excellent recipe for making a writer,” said Miranda. “If you make your kid just a little out of place everywhere he goes.”
In one of the more poignant moments, Miranda recalled how the now famous “Love is love is love” speech came to be. The Tony Awards were televised the same day as the nightclub shootings in Orlando. He said the day was full of rehearsals and he only saw the news later in the day.
“And then I’m alone with my thoughts. I was thinking about my wife, I was thinking about my child and I could not stop thinking about what had happened that day,” he said. “My job is to musicalize moments and meet the moment as honestly as I can. And sometimes the moment is presented to you in real time.”
Miranda said the phrase “Love is love” was inspired by the spirit of the gay community.
The evening ended with questions from the audience.
How to revolutionize Broadway?
“Start by getting the job.”
What keeps you up at night?
“Twitter.”
Any advice if someone tells you to get a “real job?”
“That’s good advice.” But then. “Do what you love.”
In response to a final question about New York, and if Chicago was the second greatest city in the world, Miranda called out the city’s inferiority issues.
“Can I say something?” he said, “what’s with your complex?”
He went on: “Guys, you’re Chicago. You’re the home of Laurie Metcalf and Jessie Mueller and Steppenwolf. And a million, a million, a million brilliant theater practitioners. Where else would we go?”
Twitter @MorGreene
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