How the 'Hamilton' silhouette became the musical’s iconic image

How the ‘Hamilton’ silhouette became the musical’s iconic image

Aug. 17, 2017 1:45 PM PT

ArtsMusic
Aug. 17, 2017, 1:45 p.m.

How the ‘Hamilton’ silhouette became the musical’s iconic image

Mary McNamara

The "Hamilton" National Tour at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco; the "Hamilton" playbill, center; and music supervisor Alex Lacamoire, left, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. (Los Angeles Times) — The “Hamilton” National Tour at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco; the “Hamilton” playbill, center; and music supervisor Alex Lacamoire, left, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. (Los Angeles Times)

The silhouette of Alexander Hamilton with his hand in the air is almost as famous as the musical itself.

So how did it happen?

“Truth?” asked choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler during a recent conversation about the creation of “Hamilton.”

“Well, we’re here,” said director Thomas Kail, “so tell us.”

When the show was preparing to move to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, “we did this really cool photo shoot in New York,” Blankenbuehler said. “Just putting down images we could use ... and Lin [-Manuel Miranda, the show’s creator] just improvised that.”

“That image of the Schuyler sisters,” Kail said, “I remember the second that happened, the lift of those chins and the promise of what was possible, and there it was — that’s how it felt that day.”

WATCH: The full interview with the ‘Hamilton’ creative team here.

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WATCH: Lin-Manuel Miranda leads the #Ham4Ham ticket lottery and sings!