‘Hamilton’ Coming To Puerto Rico, To Star Lin-Manuel Miranda
To fulfill a dream and to reprise a role, Award-winning Broadway Actor, Composer and Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda has announced that he will bring Hamilton the Musical to Puerto Rico. It will run at Teatro UPR, a theatre at the University of Puerto Rico. It is just one of the several structures that remains damaged by Hurricane Maria. Reconstruction and repairs are planned in preparation for a 2019 run.
Miranda hopes to inspire and bring about more artistic projects to fire up artistic endeavours in the territory. Onboard his plan for the upcoming run is show producer Jeffrey Seller. Seller considers the devastating effects of the hurricane. He conveys, "Arts and culture are pillars for economic development, cultural tourism, community empowerment and growth."
Miranda Visits Puerto Rico To Help
On Tuesday, Miranda pays Puerto Rico a visit and spends time with the hurricane survivors, handing out food and taking photos with them. He also reveals that $2.5 million will be granted through partnership with the nonprofit group in New York called Hispanic Federation. Grants accumulated by the group will provide basic necessities for survivors as well as aide in repairs of infrastructures all over the country.
"The road to recovery in Puerto Rico is not a simple one nor is it one that relies solely on aid from the American government on the mainland," Miranda points out.
Miranda Fights Trump
Last September, Puerto Rico was hit by one of the most destructive hurricanes on record and the damage has brought so much terror and casualties. The lack of reaction and urgency to send aide by the government has angered its citizens, in particular for President Donald Trump's insensitive remarks saying that "Puerto Rico has thrown budget out of whack." Miranda, an American of Puerto Rican descent has been actively criticizing Trump and once took to Twitter, telling the president "You're going straight to hell."
New Single Released To Benefit Hurricane Victims
An original song "Almost LIke Praying" penned by Miranda and sung by him and other various Hispanic artists to support Puerto Rico has been a certified hit in the music charts. The single has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Money raised will go directly to a disaster relief program under the Hispanic Federation.
Donations For Puerto Rico Still Lags
In comparison to funds collected by the Red Cross for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, collectively at $400 million, the total amount garnered for Maria is currently only at $9 million.
This is why the highly-anticipated stage run of Hamilton in 2019 is very important for Puerto Rico's continued recovery efforts. With parents originally from Puerto Rico, Miranda, as the lead star of his show, will prove to be very inspiring for the country.
