10 years ago, Broadway was changed forever. The hit show Hamilton opened on August 6, 2015 and immediately earned rave reviews. It went on to win 11 Tony Awards, including the Tony for Best Musical. In 2020, the movie version of Hamilton was released on Disney+. A decade later, the show is still making history in Manhattan.
I'm a die-hard Hamilton fan. I saw the show with my mom in March of 2017. After the 2020 Spotify Wrapped came out, I learned that my most played album of the decade was Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording). I truly think Hamilton changed the course of Broadway and deserves recognition.
Yesterday, on the exact day it opened 10 years ago, fans flooded into the Richard Rodgers Theatre for a sold-out performance, which came a decade to the day after Lin-Manuel Miranda's now iconic musical opened in 2015. The celebration was star studded, with 85 alumni and 23 original cast members joining Lin-Manuel for the performance.
© Bruce Glikas/Getty ImagesStars that attended included Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, Ariana DeBose, and Javier Muñoz.
To mark the special anniversary, producer Jeffery Seller invited all current and former cast members to the stage for an emotional curtain call.
"How lucky are we to be in this room right now?" Jeffery exclaimed at the beginning of his moving speech.
© Bruce Glikas/Getty ImagesAn attendee at the matinee anniversary show spoke with Hello! about the iconic show and the meaning behind its anniversary.
"While matinees tend to have a bit of a lower energy, this was not the case. So many people around me were cheering and mouthing along to all the songs that are now considered classics," they said. "The most exciting moment happened at the curtain call when Lin-Manuel came on stage to give a list of facts about the show.
They continued: "The show still holds up very well and that ending will always choke me up."
The 10 year celebration didn't end at the Richard Rodgers Theatre last night. Lin-Manuel announced on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the movie version will be broadcast in movie theaters nationwide and in Puerto Rico on September 5.
While the stars of Hamilton all gathered to celebrate what got them their start, they've gone on to have successful careers. Here's where they are now.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
© Bruce Glikas/Getty ImagesHamilton's creator, writer, composer, and lead actor is now a household name. He wrote the music for Disney's Moana and Encanto and has been nominated for multiple Oscars for his work.
Lin-Manuel is married to his wife Vanessa Nadal and is dad to their two sons, Sebastian and Francisco.
Leslie Odom Jr.
© Kevin MazurLeslie won a Tony for his performance as Aaron Burr. Since he stepped off the stage, he's starred in Harriet, alongside Cynthia Erivo, and in Netflix's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. In 2018, Leslie released an autobiography called Failing Up.
In April 2025, Leslie announced that he'd be returning to Hamilton in a limited 12-week run, appearing onstage as Aaron Burr again from Sept. 9 through Nov. 23.
Daveed Diggs
© WireImageDaveed played both Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton, offering comedic relief to the heavy storylines. Since Hamilton, he's done a fair bit of voice acting, most notably in the Oscar-winning film Soul and as Sebastian the crab in the live action version of The Little Mermaid.
Renée Elise Goldsberry
© WireImageRenée also won a Tony for her portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton. After the show, she turned to TV. She starred as Ava Price on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist in 2020 and as Wickie Roy on Tina Fey's sitcom Girls5eva from 2021 to 2024.
Phillipa Soo
© WireImagePhillipa played the heart of Hamilton, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. She left the show in 2016, but went on to star in other Broadway shows like Amélie, The Parisian Woman, Into the Woods, and Camelot.
