Theater News

Hamilton: The Exhibition to Open in Chicago This Fall

The musical’s creative team is offering some continuing ed on the life of Alexander Hamilton.

Mandy Gonzalez, Lexi Lawson, and Joanna A. Jones in the current Broadway cast of Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
Mandy Gonzalez, Lexi Lawson, and Joanna A. Jones in the current Broadway cast of Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
(© Joan Marcus)

The creative team behind the Broadway sensation Hamilton has announced plans to open Hamilton: The Exhibition, an interactive traveling exhibition that will continue the American history lesson that the show began. The exhibition will open November 17 ​for a limited engagement ​on Northerly Island​ in Chicago, where the musical has been running since 2016, followed by visits to other cities.

The project is a collaboration between creative director David Korins, who designed the set for Hamilton, Yale University professor and historian Joanne Freeman, Hamilton creator and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, and producer Jeffrey Seller. Harvard University history and law professor Annette Gordon-Reed is also contributing to the historical accuracy of the exhibit, presented with Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., one of the leading operators of traveling museum exhibits throughout the world.

With an audio guide narrated by Miranda, the interactive multimedia exhibit is designed to take visitors deeper into the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, while at the same time chronicling the American Revolution and the creation of the United States of America.

"I hope to use this exhibition to answer some questions that the musical doesn't address, like 'What did Alexander actually do when he was a trader in St. Croix? What did Hamilton's Manhattan look like? How did we win the battle of Yorktown?' " said Seller. "In an environment that is visually stunning, aurally thrilling and ingeniously educational, we aim to give visitors yet another unique portal through the life of Alexander Hamilton into the American founding."

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Closed: January 5, 2020