Lin-Manuel Miranda brings 'Hamilton' to Puerto Rico

Saturday, January 12, 2019
Lin-Manuel Miranda brings 'Hamilton' to Puerto Rico
Lin-Manuel Miranda reprised his lead role in the hit musical "Hamilton" on Friday night to start a two-week run in Puerto Rico.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Lin-Manuel Miranda reprised his lead role in the hit musical "Hamilton" on Friday night to start a two-week run in Puerto Rico.

It's expected to raise thousands of dollars for artists and cultural groups struggling in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

It's the first time Miranda took the stage since his last appearance in the Broadway version in July 2016, when he played the role of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton.

It's also the first time in nine years that Miranda has performed in Puerto Rico.

After the two-hour show, Miranda spoke with reporters, who peppered him with questions about how President Donald Trump was exploring diverting money for border-wall construction from a range of accounts, including using some of the 13.9 billion dollars allocated to the Army Corps of Engineers after last year's deadly hurricanes and floods.

"I think that's absolutely monstrous," Miranda said as he apologized that he didn't have further comment.

"It's the first time I'm hearing that. I've been a little busy, " Miranda said.

Opening night drew more than 1,000 audience members, who paid ticket prices ranging from $10 to $5,000.