Spamilton

Spamilton: An American Parody is a musical parody of the Broadway show Hamilton. Written by Gerard Alessandrini, creator of the parody revue Forbidden Broadway, Spamilton also parodies several other musicals, including Gypsy, Chicago, The King and I, Assassins, Camelot, The Book of Mormon and Sweeney Todd, and personalities, like Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Barbra Streisand, Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing and Liza Minnelli.

Spamilton
An American Parody
Broadway promotional poster
Music	Various
Lyrics	Gerard Alessandrini
Book	Gerard Alessandrini
Basis	Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Premiere	July 19, 2016: Triad Theatre, New York City
Productions	2016 Off-Broadway 2017 Chicago 2017 Culver City 2018 Off-West End

The show, directed by Alessandrini, had its first preview on July 19, 2016, and opened on September 8, 2016, at New York's Triad Theatre. Originally scheduled to run 18 performances, it was extended at the Triad until May 28, 2017. It moved on June 2, 2017, to the 47th Street Theatre, near the Richard Rodgers Theatre where Hamilton is presented. The production ran into 2018.

A Chicago production of Spamilton opened at the Royal George Theatre on March 12, 2017. A production ran at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City from November 5, 2017, to January 7, 2018, shortly before a national tour. US tours continued into 2024.

A production played in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory running from July 24 (previews from July 12) to September 15, 2018.

Musical numbers

• "Lin-Manuel as Hamilton"
• "Aaron Burr, Sir, Nervous-er"
• "His Shot"
• "Look Around (The Schuyler Puppets)"
• "Lin-Manuel's Quest"
• "Ticket Beggar Woman"
• "Straight Guy's Winter's Prom"
• "Straight is Back"
• "What Did You Miss?"
• "Ben Franklin, Sondheim & Lin-Manuel"
• "Daveed Diggs - The Fresh Prince of Big Hair"
• "Rap Battle"
• "Ticket Beggar Woman #2"
• "Liza's 'Down With Rap'"
• "Ticket Beggar Woman #3"
• "One Big Song" (Written for Los Angeles production)
• "In the Hype"
• "Lin-Manuel & J-Lo, Beyoncé & Gloria Estefan"
• "Book of No More Mormons"
• "Broadway Assassins"
• "Cool Duel"
• "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cries"
• "Lin-Manuel's New York City"
• "The Film When It Happens"
• "Finale: Raise a Glass to Broadway"
• "Encore: Our Shot"

Recordings

The original off-Broadway cast recording for Spamilton was released March 3, 2017 by DRG Records.

Original casts

Character	Original Off-Broadway Cast	Original Chicago Cast	Original L.A. Cast	Original London Cast
Lin-Manuel Miranda / Alexander Hamilton	Dan Rosales	Yando Lopez	William Cooper Howell	Liam Tamne
Leslie Odom Jr. / Aaron Burr	Chris Anthony Giles	Eric Andrew Lewis	Wilkie Ferguson III	Eddie Elliott
Renée Elise Goldsberry / Angelica Schuyler / Phillipa Soo / Eliza Schuyler Hamilton / Jasmine Cephas Jones / Peggy Schuyler / Audra McDonald / Jennifer Lopez / Beyoncé / Gloria Estefan	Nora Schell	Michelle Lauto	Zakiya Young	Julie Yammanee
Bernadette Peters / Barbra Streisand / Carol Channing / Liza Minnelli / Patti LuPone	Christine Pedi	Christine Pedi	Susanne Blakeslee	Sophie-Louise Dann
King George	Glenn Bassett	Adam LaSalle		Damian Humbley
Daveed Diggs / Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson	Nicholas Edwards	Donterrio Johnson	John Devereaux	Jason Denton
Ben Franklin / Sondheim / George Washington	Juwan Crawley	David Robbins	Dedrick A. Bonner	Marc Akinfolarin
Offstage Covers	Cameron Amandus & Claudia Yanez	Chuckie Benson & Ariel Richardson	Becca Brown* & Elijah Reyes	James Hameed & Esme Laudat
Onstage Pianist/Musical Director	Fred Barton	Adam LaSalle	James Lent	Simon Beck
Casting Director	Michael Cassara, CSA	Michael Cassara, CSA	Andrew Lynford

The show has the most racially diverse cast of any of Alessandrini's productions.

Critical response

Spamilton received positive reviews from critics. In his review of the Off-Broadway production, Ben Brantley in The New York Times called it a "smart, silly and often convulsively funny thesis, performed by a motor-mouthed cast that is fluent in many tongues". Frank Scheck, in his review of the Off-Broadway production for The Hollywood Reporter, wrote the musical "is so infectiously fun that it could easily run as long as its inspiration."

Marilyn Stasio in reviewing the Off-Broadway production in Variety, wrote, "Like the original show, the pants are tight, the boots are shiny, the bosoms are uplifting and the vests show just enough chest to look manly. Switch-hitting as director/choreographer, Alessandrini assigns his performers signature moves that make each character look authentic, if ever-so-slightly goofy. Getting those physical details right lays the groundwork for the witty character impersonations to come."

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail both attended a performance. Miranda praised the parody, saying, "I laughed my brains out."

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2017	Drama League Awards	Distinguished Performance	Nora Schell	Nominated
	Off-Broadway Alliance Awards	Best Unique Theatrical Experience		Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Lyrics	Gerard Alessandrini	Nominated
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical	Nora Schell	Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical		Nominated
	Theater Fans' Choice Awards	Best Off-Broadway Musical		Nominated

External links

• Official website