Lin-Manuel Miranda Says He'll Star in Chicago's HAMILTON for Oscar Lopez Rivera

HAMILTON creator and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda took to Twitter today to express his gratitude following the news that President Obama had commuted the sentence of Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Rivera.

Miranda said he would star as Alexander Hamilton if Rivera were to attend the musical in Chicago.

Chicago native Oscar Lopez Rivera was convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government in 1981 as the leader of FALN, a Puerto Rican independence group.

HAMILTON is playing The PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago. The musical is also running on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. A touring production begins a 21-week run in San Francisco in March 2017, followed by a 21-week engagement in Los Angeles. A London production will also be mounted this year.

The current Chicago cast features Wayne Brady as Aaron Burr, Ari Afsar as Eliza Hamilton; Miguel Cervantes as Alexander Hamilton; Alexander Gemignani as King George III, CHRIS DE'SEAN LEE as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Joseph Morales as Mr. Cervantes' alternate; Karen Olivoas Angelica Schuyler, JOSÈ RAMOS as John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton; Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, and Samantha Marie Ware as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds.

The Chicago company also includes Sam Aberman, JOSÈ AMOR, Amber Ardolino, Remmie Bourgeois, CHLOË CAMPBELL, Yossi Chaikin, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, John Michael Fiumara, Jean Godsend Floradin, Aaron Gordon, Jin Ha, Holly James, Malik Shabazz Kitchen, Colby Lewis, DASHÌ MITCHELL, Justice Moore, Samantha Pollino, Gabriella Sorrentino, RoBert Walters and Aubin Wise.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow's biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The musical won eleven 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Score, Book of a Musical, Direction of a Musical, Choreography and Orchestrations. Mr. Miranda received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 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.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride