'Hamilton' turns 10, and these fans still can't get enough of it

"Hamilton," the blockbuster musical about the “$10 Founding Father,” is turning 10.

On Aug. 6, the Pulitzer Prize- and 11-time Tony Award winner "Hamilton" marks that major milestone on Broadway. It’s been a decade since Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking show about Alexander Hamilton reshaped the world of theater.

And audience members.

Since its debut, millions have watched and been deeply “Satisfied” — to name-check a favorite song — by the show told through a vibrant blend of hip-hop, R&B and history. (In her review of "Hamilton," Newsday theater critic Linda Winer said it "manages to be radical and satirical, yet good-hearted.)

But "Hamilton" is more than a musical — it's a cultural force that’s sparked personal connections through live performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and the 2020 Disney+ film. (Prior to Broadway, it played at Off-Broadway’s Public Theater from Jan. 20 to May 3, 2015.)

Meet five Long Island fans with ties to the show. Their stories are unique, but they all began with one thing — falling hard for Hamilton.

'Hamilton' sparks classroom dialogue

Kelly Ronayne, who teaches in the history department at Farmingdale State College, has seen "Hamilton" live twice — once with the original cast, and later after winning the lottery. She attended the latter time with her daughter. She’s watched the Disney+ version numerous times.

“It’s definitely important to me,” said Ronayne, who lives in East Rockaway. “As an American historian, I relate to this, but even more so, it’s impacted my relationship with my students.”

She screens the show each year in her class covering American history to Reconstruction. “By showing them 'Hamilton,' I want them to relate to the past using the arts and the vernacular of music today,” she said.

Students dive into key questions: How are Hamilton and Aaron Burr alike or different? Where does the musical stick to the historical record — and where does it take creative license or dramatize events? “Musicals sometimes create false narratives or characters to heighten storytelling,” she noted.

Her classroom comes alive with discussion. “I get great joy using this to teach,” Ronayne said. “My students have gone crazy for it.”

'Hamilton' turns life into a stage

When Gracie Donaldson-Cipriano, 36, of Glen Cove, isn’t working as an office manager, weight-loss influencer or handling social media and marketing for small businesses, she’s most likely performing. “I sing in church every weekend, and I do community theater,” she said.

Having watched "Hamilton" on Disney+ “more times than I can possibly count,” Donaldson-Cipriano said the score has shaped her musical tastes. Her go-to number: “You’ll Be Back,” the King George III tune that cheekily threatens rebellion with a catchy, Beatles-esque melody.

“I’ve performed it many times,” she said. “The 'Hamilton' Twitter account even ‘liked’ a video of me singing it. I love the comedy and the depth in that song.”

Beyond its music, "Hamilton" has deepened her passion for politics. Donaldson-Cipriano, who studied communications in college and graduate school, said the lyrics resonate in surprising ways.

“It amazes me how relevant the words are,” she said. “Every time I think I’ve found all the connections; I watch again and find more.”

Two lines that stand out to her: “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” and “History has its eye on you” — both especially powerful, she said, in today’s politically charged world.

“I’ve always been someone who thinks about how I’ll leave the world behind,” she said. “So the show’s final question — ‘Who tells your story?’ — really stays with me.”

'Hamilton' encourages excellence — work!

Aurora Ware, 13, is a devoted "Hamilton" aficionado who rates herself a 10 out of 10 on the fandom scale. She watches the show on TV nearly every day, she said.

A rising eighth grader at St. Anne’s School in Garden City, she appreciates the show’s diverse cast and says it deepens her interest in history, motivating her to study harder. “The show talks about how Hamilton constantly did what he had to do to become who he was,” Aurora said.

A competitive swimmer, Aurora draws inspiration from "Hamilton’s" songs while training and racing. “Non-Stop” and “History Has Its Eyes on You” get her charged up and focused before exams or swim meets, she said. “Wait for It” is a reminder of running one’s own race.

Outside school and pool, Aurora collects "Hamilton" merchandise, from mugs to pajamas. Her mom, Lorna Lightfoot-Ware, an alumna of Hamilton College in upstate Clinton, said the connection runs deep: “We go full level.”

'Hamilton' fuels artistic ambitions

Gia Keddy, 21, from Oakdale, has seen "Hamilton" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in August 2022, and more recently on Broadway during her spring semester at Marymount Manhattan College.

As a rising senior studying musical theater, she said the show fuels her aspirations. “ 'Hamilton' is very inspirational, particularly its diverse casting and use of hip-hop,” she said. “Even though I’m not a huge fan of rap music, I can’t stop listening to the cast album.” It reminds her of the career path she hopes to follow.

Keddy laughs now when she remembers how slow she was to embrace the show. “I always joke about it,” she said. “ 'Hamilton' used to be really popular when I was in middle school. That’s when it was getting started. I didn’t immediately get into it, which is shocking now.” Slowly but surely she changed her view.

“I’m a late adopter,” she added. “It was my senior year of high school when I started to gain my love for 'Hamilton.' ” By that time, the show was available on Disney+. For a high concert, she performed “You’ll Be Back” — in full King George regalia,” she said, laughing.

“As somebody who was never a history buff, for lack of a better word," she said, "the show has definitely made me appreciate the stories of the past. I feel a connection.”

Hamilton offers lyrics to live by

Like many theatergoers, Megan Laguna, 31, a marketing professional from Lindenhurst, saves Playbills from the shows she sees. Her collection currently includes just one from "Hamilton."

Come fall, she’ll have two. She’s got tickets to see the show in October when Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony Award playing Burr, reprises his role from Sept. 9 to Nov. 26. She’s excited about seeing Odom live for the first time, and reconnecting with the show’s themes.

Hamilton fuels Laguna’s passion for theater, which began during her time as a student at Farmingdale State College, where she got involved with the Backstage Theatre Company. “It was a bunch of theater geeks wanting to put on some shows,” she said. That same creative spirit continues to shape the kind of work she gravitates toward today as an actor and director of local community theater.

She’s drawn to material that’s unique and challenging — and that’s exactly what appeals to her about Hamilton. “My favorite aspect of it is just how different it is,” she said. “It’s unlike anything I've really seen.” After hearing the cast album, she was hooked. “I just couldn't stop listening. I’m a hip-hop and R&B fan, so having that sound on Broadway was very special to me.”

Equally powerful are Miranda’s lyrics, which offer both insight and inspiration. “Wait for It” — a ballad that captures Aaron Burr’s restraint, ambition, and inner conflict — delivers words to live by. “‘I am the one thing in life I can control,’” she said, quoting the lyric that resonates most deeply. “That’s become a mantra.”