FRILOT: “Hamilton” is coming to Boston

Monday marked an exciting day for theatre enthusiasts of the Boston area. The Boston Opera House was packed with members of various press outlets. Reporters and journalists all sat anxiously on the edge of their seats, waiting to be the first to hear Broadway in Boston’s 2017-2018 season lineup. The event was invitation-only, and although the sizable audience didn’t make it feel as so, it was certainly an exclusive event aimed to put the correct, controlled information in the right hands of the media. Countless rumors stirred about which productions would be exhibited on the Boston stage, however, the potential for “Hamilton: An American Musical” to visit was at the forefront of every conversation.

After an elegant cocktail hour complimented by upscale hors d’oeuvres, the presentation began. When the seemingly ceaseless Lexus-sponsored messages (which took up about a whopping third of the presentation, I might add) came to a close, our suspense was finally put at ease as the vice president of Broadway in Boston proudly announced the musicals that would be participating in the tour.

The presentation commenced with the release that “The Phantom of the Opera” would be traveling to Boston in September, followed by “Fun Home” in October. Then, the showing of “Love Never Dies: The Phantom Returns” will take the stage. Following the classic, “Waitress” and then “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan” will be presented to the New England crowd. The icing on the cake will be the showing of “The Book of Mormon” and “Disney’s Aladdin” through the summer of 2018. To top it all off, as the cherry on top of the icing on the cake, “Hamilton: The American Musical” will be a superb bookend to the 2017-2018 season.

Without even a fraction of a cautious thought or apprehension, the reporters and journalists in the room couldn’t help but put their professionalism aside for a moment as they went ballistic when the greatest possible thing for Broadway in Boston was announced — “Hamilton” would be making a three-month showing from Sept. 18 to Nov. 18 in 2018. Having received a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, “Hamilton” will be attracting audiences from all over to watch history be made as it claims the Boston stage for one of the longest runs in the history of Broadway in Boston.

Not only will “Hamilton” bring flocks of paying audience members to the Opera House, livening up the business as “Hamilton’s” outstanding impact on modern day musical theater continues, but it will also leave a huge impression on downtown Boston. Judging by past legacies or other successful shows, it is no doubt that “Hamilton” will continue to bewilder Boston long after Nov. 18, 2018 when the show will leave our beloved city. In San Francisco, every single ticket of every single show in a lengthy five-month span was bought within 24 hours of the public release of tickets, reeling in a huge profit, clearly demonstrating the show’s massive potential and following that will soon hit Beantown.

Prior to the 2004 renovation of the Boston Opera House, the Washington Street area of downtown Boston was a grim sight. After the remodel, the revamped theater debuted with “Disney’s The Lion King,” which was brought to the Washington Street theatre by none other than Broadway in Boston. Almost immediately thereafter, the theater started attracting hordes of theatre lovers to the area and the streets soon picked up. Since then, the company has kept up a steady rotation of some of the most popular Broadway productions to date.

“Hamilton’s” coming to Boston means so much more than just the appeasement of die-hard fans. Having such an impressive following, the musical means so much to Boston as well as the entire musical theatre world. In a world where the arts are given less and less attention, “Hamilton” is a crucial push that is keeping musical theater alive, an invigorating nudge us theater lovers are endlessly thankful for.