B'way Gets into an 'Empire State of Mind' with Karen Olivo and Newlywed Lin-Manuel Miranda

Is Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway's answer to rap mogul Jay-Z? The Tony-winning composer clearly has a soft spot for covering Jay-Z songs, as he readied to displayed on September 12 at Broadway on Broadway, when he and his former In The Heights co-star Tony winner Karen Olivo covered the Jay-Z-Alicia Keys’ mega-hit "Empire State of Mind."

"I am becoming the Barbara Cook of Jay-Z standards,” Miranda joked referencing the “Run This Town” music video parody he and Olivo filmed last year. Will he keep covering Jay-Z in the future? “I like 'Already Home' from his new album and 'Meet the Parents' from The Blueprint 2, but it’s like six minutes long and really hard.” Miranda noted he’d love to cover a song from all of the Grammy winner’s albums. “I’m kind of a completist.”

Completist is an understatement for the man who surprised his new wife, Vanessa, with a fully choreographed performance of Fiddler on the Roof’s “L’Chaim” at their September 5 wedding. “I pulled out all the stops,” Miranda said of the performance. “There was a month of rehearsal.” The actor managed to keep the performance a secret by telling his wife he was attending meetings for his upcoming show, a musical adaptation of the film Bring It On. Based on the infectious clip, who wouldn't want Miranda to DJ their own wedding! "I'd charge a lot," the actor joked.

Check out Miranda and Olivo's rendition of "Empire State of Mind" (complete with a shout-out to his new wife!) below.