Javier Muñoz, Lin-Manuel Miranda's alternate in the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton on Broadway, stepped into the title role last night, July 11 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The actor will appear on NBC's TODAY this morning, July 12 between 10 - 11 am/ET to discuss his new leading role. BWW will bring you video of the appearance as soon as it becomes available.
Mr. Muñoz has been the
Hamilton alternate dating back to the musical's early development and debut at
The Public Theatre in January 2015, as well as throughout the Broadway engagement. He previously took over the role of Usnavi - again, replacing Mr. Miranda - in the latter's Tony-winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS.
He will perform the role of Alexander
Hamilton seven performances a week. Mr. Muñoz's alternate, who will perform the role once a week as Mr. Muñoz has done, will be announced at a later date along with the alternate's performance schedule.
Mr. Muñoz's other stage credits include the title role of VENICE in the musical at
Center Theatre Group, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, a rock opera, at Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, and RICHARD III and INTO THE WOODS at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
HAMILTON recently won 11
TONY AWARDS including Best Musical, Score, Book of a Musical, Direction of a Musical, Choreography and Orchestrations. With book, music and lyrics by
Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by
Thomas Kail, choreography by
Andy Blankenbuehler and musical direction and orchestrations by
Alex Lacamoire, the musical is based on
Ron Chernow's biography of Founding Father Alexander
Hamilton.
HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander
Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway,
Hamilton is the story of America then, as told by America now.