Hi, I'm Stage in Stages, Lynn Manuel Miranda, and you're listening to The Hamelcast.

Boots and cuts and boots and cuts.

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the Hamelcast. I am Jillian. I am wrapping up the show. Of course,

it's such an honor. Andy Blankinbuehler, thank you so much for coming back. It's a total pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Of course. So we have just old school, a French 75 made with gin. So wanted to, that's what I made you last time. My husband Mike made. It's a winter's ball change. Yeah, yeah. And I remember saying, I was like, are you a ball change guy? And you said, and I quote, a ball change is very me. And I was surprised by that. But I love it. So cheers. Still living on the ball change. Right. Cheers. Cheers. Like old times. That was our Christmas party drink this year. Really? Yeah. Did you name it? We got this great recipe off at New York Times with this ground pepper like rub that goes in it. So it's like really intense. I can't remember what the name of it, what they call it in New York Times. But it was good. It was really good. I love it. You were episodes to 17 to 18 to 19. Wow. You came over February of 2020. You were the last person to come over before lockdown. That's crazy. Isn't that crazy? You're the last member of the cabinet. The last person to come over. It was Alex Brightman the week before, then you. And then I went virtual. And you're not going to believe this, but I, that was the very first podcast I've ever listen to. Really? I've never listened to a podcast. And I don't know why. I don't know why. Like, it just was never part of my fiber. And then during lockdown, I was on my bicycle, like, every morning trying to like rehab my injuries and stuff. And I listened to the podcast with you. Yeah, yeah. Like my very first one on a bicycle, sweating. Oh my God. Well, thank you so much for my thing. That was a huge moment because I was so nervous and you put me at such ease right away. And I don't know if you remember, but the first, well, yeah, the first like 10 minutes you broke down the final duel. You coming up with it and being on the subway after being stuck for so long. And that was a huge moment in the podcast because one, we were just off and running. I don't even think I said like the choreographer of Hamilton. Yeah, I don't remember any of it. We were just like off. And it was such a wonderful like editing moment because the way you told the story I was able to use the music perfectly.

The universe had our backs on that like major. Happy Hamilton, congrats.

Wow, what a year it's been.

How does it feel? What's it been like?

Really great. I mean, the summer was so joyous and it was, I was actually nervous on a lot of different occasions about the whole thing.

But it was really, really wonderful. Like, starting with the Tonys, like, I had no idea what we were getting into with the Tony's. Because we also had, like, a year of talking about what the event might be, whether it was going to be a concert or what it was going to be. And so when we decided on that number for the Tonys, I think, you know, we were all excited about it. and I don't know if you'd heard, like it was like old folks home. Like it was the four of us on a Zoom. Just like, you know, always like riffing. And like back all the way back to like making 96,000 and stuff. Like the number just came together in like five minutes on the Zoom. Really? Like it was really funny and it was great.

And Lynn actually said, he's been quoted as saying, he's like, and the numbers,

he writes itself.

And I was like, but it doesn't stage itself.

Like I was like, we just made a montage of like most of the show in five minutes.

And so I was really nervous about putting it

together on a lot of levels. I was nervous about honoring the original show because I felt it was

important to really honor the original show. Felt it was important to honor the cast. But I also

think that Hamilton continues to live new and I don't want to do the same old thing. And so it was

important for me to actually re-choreph and make up a lot of new stuff. And so I don't want to do the same old thing. And so it was important for me to

actually re-chorephing it and make up a lot of new stuff. And so I didn't know how that was going to go. And I also didn't know what it was going to be for anybody to revisit it. I mean, it's 10 years of you're a different person after 10 years. You have all this artistry, you all this experience. So did you want to be in the room with everyone and feel the energy first?

I was super nervous. No, no, I worked on it for days. I worked on it for days by myself. And then I got into the room with Morgan and Michael Midland, my supervisor. And we sort of came up with a game plan. And then I was nervous to jump in. And like literally, like in the first

five minutes, like John Rue was like stretching on the floor and I just laid down next to John

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