In his lifetime, lower Manhattan resident Alexander Hamilton was better known for his connections to Wall Street, where he conducted his successful law practice.
These days, however, the man who graces the $10 bill is becoming more closely associated as a rainmaker for Broadway.
With “an ever-increasing influx of tourists and a resurgent enthusiasm for musical theater,” the Big Apple’s theater business saw a record-breaking year, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing attendance and revenue figures from the Broadway League, the trade group representing the industry.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s unlike success story “Hamilton” — inspired by Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography of the nation’s first Treasury secretary — “offered an enormous jolt of energy to the Broadway season,” noted The Times, despite being only the fifth-highest grossing show of the 2015-2016 season with $74 million.
“The season that ended on Sunday included 13,317,980 visitors to Broadway shows — a record number, up 1.6 percent over the previous season,” The Times reported. “Theaters grossed $1.373 billion, also a record, up 0.6 percent over the previous season, although the grosses are not adjusted for inflation.”
On May 10, the Kennedy Center announced that a production of “Hamilton” would take the stage at the storied D.C. landmark, but not until September 2017 at the earliest.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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