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Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda Strips Down On Beverly Boulevard For Impromptu Broadway Revue
Hamilton mania is sweeping across the Southland—the production started its L.A. run last Friday. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical's creator, is helping stoke the flames by going on the publicity circuit in Los Angeles. Just this Wednesday he performed outside of the Pantages Theatre (where Hamilton is playing) to a throng of eager fans. And now he's taken to an intersection outside of CBS' studios, stripping naked and belting out tracks from Hair, the anti-war musical that started its Broadway run in the late 1960s.
Perhaps a bit of context is needed here. The stunt was done for The Late Late Show, as part of James Corden's "Crosswalk the Musical" series, which is almost like his "Carpool Karaoke" series (but with a full cast and sans being inside a car). Both Grease and The Lion King have gotten the "Crosswalk" treatment, and now it's time for Hair to shine.
As shown in the video above, Miranda and Corden played it with a straight face, angling the performance as the big break that Miranda's been waiting for his whole life. "I feel like everything that I've done has been leading up to this," said Miranda.
"Remember this could be it for you. This could launch you into theater," said Corden (actually, Miranda is believed to have made $6.4 million from his play alone in 2016).
Donning hippie gear that may have been procured from a Spencer's, the two (backed by an ensemble) walk out into the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Genesee Avenue for a stirring rendition of "Aquarius." This was later followed by "Hair." Motorists, stuck in traffic as this guerrilla musical unspooled before them, were clearly not amused. And at one point both Miranda and Corden removed their clothes, wearing nothing but their wigs and a pixelated cloud that was implemented in post-production.
We assume they were wearing something underneath (either way, there's a "This video may be inappropriate for some users" notice when you try to watch the performance on YouTube).
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