‘Hamilton’ orchestra tickets to be raffled off for P800 each until November

“Kumusta, Philippines! What’s up dude, pare?”

That’s how Lin-Manuel Miranda greeted theater followers in the Philippines last March, when he announced the Manila staging of his magnum opus, “Hamilton.”

More good news are coming mere 10 days before the start of its run on September 17.  

Theater followers will get an opportunity to avail of orchestra seat tickets at P800 each, thanks to the digital lottery called Ham4Ham, local partner GMG Productions said in a statement.

This was earlier confirmed by producers Jeffrey Seller and Michael Cassel for the Manila season of the international tour.

The digital lottery Ham4Ham will take place through the entire run of “Hamilton” in Manila, from September 17 to November 26.

Ham4Ham started in the United States. Using the social media tag #Ham4Ham, theater followers could win front-row seats to the Broadway production of “Hamilton.”

“The digital ticket lottery, created for Hamilton fans on Broadway has been embraced with tremendous enthusiasm wherever the show has played all over the world and we know fans in Manila will be exactly the same,” said Cassel.

“It’s important that theatre is accessible for anyone who wants to see it and the digital ticket lottery allows us to introduce this transformative experience to people who may not have been able to see it otherwise,” Cassel added.

How to join

In Manila, Ham4Ham runs exclusively through TicketWorld. According to GMG Productions, audience members must sign up at TicketWorld to receive “Hamilton” lottery entry access using the email address associated with their active TicketWorld account.

The lottery will open every Monday at 10am and close for entry every Wednesday at 11:59am.

Winners will be notified every Thursday starting at 12pm with an email from TicketWorld. The confirmation email will include a one-time-use promo code and a purchase link that will expire at 12pm the following day of the receipt of the email.

Participants can enter to win the chance to purchase two tickets for the upcoming week’s performances at P800 per ticket. A one-entry-per-week limit will be applied.

Winners may claim and pay for their tickets online or over the counter at TicketWorld outlets before the promo code expires. Additional rules and full terms and conditions can be found on TicketWorld website.

Ham4Ham will begin on Monday, September 11 and will follow the aforementioned cycle until it opens again the following Monday, September 18. The cycle will go on until the last Monday and Wednesday before closing week in November 2023.

A caveat though: “Hamilton” Lottery will have a limited number of tickets available throughout the season at a special price.

To be notified when the lottery opens and get more updates on the ticket promo news, theater nerds may sign up for the “Hamilton” Lottery Newsletter at TicketWorld.

Rachelle Ann Go excited for Philippine run

The Manila run will have Rachelle Ann Go reprising her role as Eliza Hamilton, the wife of United States' founding father Alexander Hamilton. She first played Eliza in the West End production from 2017 to 2019.

“What attracted me the most was Eliza’s child-like spirit when she was younger [She married Alexander at 23 and bore eight children]. I’m so excited to play the role again because I’m a mom of two now. I can add another layer to my depiction of Eliza—it will be more profound and motherly now,” Go said in an earlier interview with Oliver Oliveros of Broadway World Philippines.

“Because we’re part of the original London cast, we were fortunate to meet the show’s creative team. They went to London from New York and guided us first-hand. However, they allowed us to choose, especially in getting to know and creating our characters,” she added.

In the same Broadway World Philippines interview, Rachelle said she also signed to play Eliza when “Hamilton” goes to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi from January 17 to February 4, 2024.

In the Manila stop, Alexander will be played by Australian Jason Arrow, who earlier played Alexander in the original Australian cast of “Hamilton” when it debuted in Sydney in March 2021.

“Hamilton” premiered on Broadway in August 2015 to wide critical and audience acclaim. The show has since won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre – a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education.

“Hamilton” is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography, copies of which are still available in local outlets like Fully Booked and National Book Store.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, the creative team previously collaborated on the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical “In the Heights.”

Scenic design is by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe.

Incidentally, “In The Heights” was performed twice in Manila via Atlantis Theatricals back in 2011 and restaged in 2012 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Building in Makati City.

The international tour of “Hamilton” is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Michael Cassel.

The Manila season, which happens to be the Asian premiere of "Hamilton," is presented by Michael Cassel Group and GMG Productions.

As such, the question still remains: Will Lin-Manuel Miranda grace the opening gala or any of the shows? Abangan, dude pare.

— LA, GMA Integrated News