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Lin-Manuel Miranda Calls Out John Bolton for HAMILTON Rip-Off

By: Jun. 18, 2020
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John Bolton releases a book next week and the title is... familiar. The former National Security Advisor was called out on Twitter today by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was quick to point out that Bolton's book is a rip-off of a Hamilton tune: "The Room Where It Happens".

He writes: "You have no control, Who lives, who dies, who [borrows your song title to write a cash-in book when they could have testified before Congress] tells your story."

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and performer, as well as a 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient. His current musical, Hamilton - with book, music and lyrics by Mr. Miranda, in addition to him originating the title role - opened on Broadway in 2015. Hamilton was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and earned a record-breaking 16 Tony Nominations, winning 11 Tony Awards including two personally for Mr. Miranda for Book and Score of a Musical. The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton won the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Both Mr. Miranda and Hamilton won the 2016 Drama League Awards for Distinguished Performance and Outstanding Production of a Musical, respectively.

Mr. Miranda's first Broadway musical, In the Heights, received four 2008 Tony Awards (including Best Orchestrations, Best Choreography and Best Musical), with Miranda receiving a Tony Award for Best Score, as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. In the Heights also took home a 2009 Grammy Award for its Original Broadway Cast Album and was recognized as a Finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. In 2016, Miranda won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music for the Original London production of In The Heights. Off-Broadway, In the Heights received a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, the Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best Musical and Mr. Miranda received an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics.

Mr. Miranda is the co-composer (with Tom Kitt), and co-lyricist (with Amanda Green) of Broadway's Bring it On: The Musical (2013 Tony Nom., Best Musical, 2013 Drama Desk Nom., Best Lyrics). He contributed new songs to the revival of Stephen Schwartz' Working and Spanish translations for the 2009 Broadway Revival of West Side Story. In 2014, Mr. Miranda received an Emmy Award with Tom Kitt for their song, "Bigger" from the 67th Annual Tony Awards. Mr. Miranda contributed music, lyrics and vocals to several songs in Disney's feature film Moana, earning him an Oscar nomination and Grammy Award for the original song, "How Far I'll Go."




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