When Hamilton first hit Broadway in 2015, its vision of America felt almost inseparable from the moment that produced it. Eleven years later, the Founding Fathers are rapping again, but the country listening sounds a little different. Back in 2020, Lin-Manuel Miranda described the musical as “hopeful” to some during the Obama era and “defiant” during the (first) Trump era.
Now, as the United States marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Hamilton’s arguments over immigration, revolution, political power and who gets to claim the American story haven’t exactly quieted down. Miranda has argued that the contradiction is part of the point: “If there’s any thesis about Hamilton, it’s everything that’s past is present.” Maybe its optimism belongs to another political era. Maybe its ability to change with the country watching is why it’s endured.
Either way, Orlando gets another chance to be in the room where it happens when the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning hip-hop phenomenon returns to the Dr. Philips Center starting this week and running through Oct. 18.
Various times, Sept. 29-Oct. 18, Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $107-$296.
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This article appears in Sept. 23-29, 2026.