The smash hit musical Hamilton is coming to the Queensland capital — if you want to be in the room where it happens, here's everything you need to know.
What is Hamilton?
In case you are one of the few people in Australia who hasn't heard of it, seen it live, watched the original production on Disney+ or binge-listened to the soundtrack – Hamilton is a Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about one of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.
Blending hip-hop, jazz, R&B and traditional musical theatre, the show created a revolutionary moment in theatre when it premiered on Broadway in 2015.
Productions have been held right around the world, but the Australian production was the only one on stage when it premiered in Sydney in March 2021, after the pandemic shutdown shows internationally.
Now there's even a German language version set to open in Hamburg in October.
When and where in Brisbane?
Performances will get underway at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre from January 27, 2023, after wrapping up its Melbourne run at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne on Sunday January 15.
"It's really thrilling, I'm well aware that most shows are lucky enough to play Melbourne or play Sydney and the fact that we get to go to Brisbane is a real treat," creator Lin Manuel Miranda told News Breakfast's Michael Rowland.
"It's really thanks to the Australian audience, I'm really grateful.
"Hamilton always surpasses every hope I had for it."
Why is it so popular?
"It just continues to resonate with people, and I can't explain that," Miranda says.
"I remember thinking when I was writing that I hope there are enough history teachers that will take their classes. That we'll maybe run a couple of years and make our money back for our investors."
The global success is undeniable. Broadway, West End, a North American tour, Sydney, Melbourne and now Brisbane.
"When we opened our second production in Chicago, they thought 'how will this play outside New York, it's such a New York story?' Then when we went to London, they thought 'how will this play outside the United States, it's such an American story?" Miranda said.
So why do so many people want to see a musical about one of America's founding fathers?
Lin-Manuel Miranda says the characters deal with universal issues.
"The bigger question that every character is wrestling with a variation of is what are we doing with our time here and what will they say about us when we are no longer here?" he said.
"Everyone's reckoning with what we're doing with our time here on earth, whether that's Hamilton and Burr … and then of course Eliza."
When do tickets go on sale?
Tickets for the Brisbane season go on sale Monday September 12, with pre-sale tickets available from 10am, Monday September 5.
What can Brisbane audiences expect?
They'll get to see homegrown Brisbane boy Sami Afuni in the roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison after recently joining the cast in August.
The 25-year-old says he's excited to perform in his hometown.
"I know Brisbane will have a special connection with this inspiring story of rising up, and I am so grateful to be a part of that," he said.
Hamilton is the 25-year-old actor's first foray into the professional theatre world and, as anyone who has seen the show would know, it's a tough first gig.
"One of the things I think I'm proudest of is that so often Hamilton is the first entry in an incredibly talented actor's CV," Miranda says.
"It's a really hard show to do. It's two-and-a-half hours, the turntables move in both directions, and it doesn't stop," he says.
"Once we find that original cast, like that brilliant original Australian company, it attracts the folks it needs to keep going.
"I know that from anecdotal evidence that the Australian cast are like rock stars in Australia, and I can't wait to see what they do next."
