Jimmy Fallon Joined Lin-Manuel Miranda for a Special ‘Hamilton’ Performance in Puerto Rico
Jimmy Fallon does a lot of musical sketches on The Tonight Show, but he pulled off one of his most special performances yet on the Tuesday, January 15, episode, when he joined Lin-Manuel Miranda for a Hamilton song in Puerto Rico.
The filmed segment featured Fallon, in full costume, on stage with Miranda, who is reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton for a limited run of the show to help raise money and awareness for ongoing Hurricane Maria recovery.
Fallon and Miranda were joined by actors Brandon Armstrong, Rubén J. Carbajal, and Simon Longnight for a rendition of “The Story of Tonight.” Naturally, Fallon changed the lyrics slightly to turn it into a suitable intro for Tuesday’s episode of The Tonight Show, and eventually, the rest of the Hamilton cast joined to dance along to Fallon’s theme song, written by The Roots (who themselves have worked extensively with Miranda on Hamilton‘s musical output).
Fallon traveled to Puerto Rico not just for the Hamilton segment, but also to film a special episode of The Tonight Show to help bring awareness to his friend’s fundraising efforts. Miranda joined Fallon for an emotional interview that detailed the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and to thank Fallon for joining.
“You have no idea how much it means to people that you’re here,” Miranda told the late-night host. “You mean so much to people here and it really means the world that you came down and shone a spotlight on the island.”
Miranda had a dream to bring his Pulitzer-winning musical to his father’s home of Puerto Rico, where Miranda himself grew up visiting every summer, even before the devastation of Hurricane Maria impacted the island.
What do you think of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jimmy Fallon’s performance? Let us know @BritandCo!
(photo via Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)
