Tony Awards 2016: Hamilton performance includes History Has Its Eyes On You, Yorktown

Hamilton fans across the country will no longer have to wait for it — “it” being impossible-to-get tickets — to see a new glimpse of Broadway’s hottest show.

The cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s record-breaking musical took their show to the room where it happens: New York’s Beacon Theatre for this year’s Tony Awards. Together, they gave a rousing performance of “Yorktown,” after getting a special pretaped introduction by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

The Obamas told the story of how years ago, Miranda brought what was then called “The Hamilton Mixtape” to the White House for a special poetry show, performing what would become the opening number to Hamilton.

“I must admit, we laughed,” the president recalled. “But who’s laughing now?”

The Obamas also reflected on how much the show moved them and how relevant and powerful its messages are in the political climate of 2016.

“America is what we make of it, as long as we stay just like our country: young, scrappy, and hungry,” Michelle Obama said.

After the Obamas’ introduction and another from Common, the Hamilton cast launched into a performance of “History Has Its Eyes on You” and the show-stopping number “Yorktown,” earning wild applause on the line “immigrants — we get the job done.”

One major difference between the Broadway production and the Tonys performance (besides the censored profanity) was the lack of guns onstage. Earlier Sunday, New York Times theater reporter Michael Paulson revealed that the Hamilton cast chose to remove prop muskets from their Tonys performance after the mass shooting early that morning in Orlando, Florida.

via GIPHY

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Later, Hamilton won Best Musical and took the stage for a surprise performance of “The Schuyler Sisters,” echoing producer Jeffrey Seller’s acceptance speech as they sang, “Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now.”

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In all, Hamilton was nominated for a record 16, including two best actor noms (Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr.), three featured actor nominations (Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, and Jonathan Groff), a best actress nod (Phillipa Soo), and a best featured actress nomination (Renée Elise Goldsberry). The show was also nominated for best musical, best book of a musical, best original score, best choreography, best orchestration, best scenic design, best costume design, best lighting design, and best direction. Even though Hamilton broke the record for most nominations, it didn’t manage to beat The Producers‘ record for the most-ever wins with 12, earning only 11.

Previously, the cast performed the show’s opening number, “Alexander Hamilton,” live from the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York during February’s Grammy Awards ceremony, where the show won the award for Best Musical Theater Album.