History has its eyes on Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash hit Broadway show is arguably one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed musicals of our time, winning a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. And on Sunday night, Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards, just missing breaking the record for most wins by a single musical. The show, which has become a cultural phenomenon, was nominated for a record-breaking 16 Tonys going into the night and took home awards for Leslie Odom, Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, and Miranda, Hamilton writer, composer, and actor. The record of most Tonys received for a single musical is 12, the amount won by Mel Brooks' The Producers in 2001. Hamilton does become the second highest winning musical, beating A Chorus Line, which took home 10 Tonys.
The musical follows the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who founded the the national bank, served as Secretary of the Treasury, and author of most of The Federalist Papers, among many other main foundations of this country. It wasn't quite a sweep for the musical, though. Phillipa Soo lost the award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and Hamilton did not take home the Best Scenic Design trophy. But no worries, Hamilton still took home behind-the-scenes awards for direction, choreography, costume design, lighting design, orchestrations, and book.
Hamilton took home the following Tony Awards:
- Best Musical
- Best Book Of A Musical - Miranda
- Best Original Score - Music and lyrics by Miranda
- Best Performance By An Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical - Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr
- Best Performance By An Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical - Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson/Marquis de Lafayette
- 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
In addition to winning all the Tonys on Sunday night, the cast of Hamilton performed a riveting medley of the songs "History Has Its Eyes On You" and "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)" and even ended the 2016 Tonys with a surprise second performance. At this point, it's safe to say that Hamilton has certainly turned Broadway upside down.
