Hamilton by the Numbers: Broadway's $10 Founding Father in 47 Songs and 20,520 Words

Hamilton turned the world upside down when it opened on Broadway on August 6, 2015. Now the sixth longest-running production currently on Broadway, the $10 Founding Father is dazzling audiences in all of his posthumous popularity. Based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, Hamilton is the hip-hopping historical retelling of Alexander Hamilton’s legacy. Don’t throw away your shot to see Hamilton broken down by the numbers—there are more than 10 things you need to know.

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda first got the idea for the musical in 2008 after reading Chernow’s biography while on vacation from his first Broadway musical, In the Heights. It’s only right that the story of a workaholic would present itself on vacation.

Miranda performed a draft of Hamilton’s opening number in 2009 for then-President Barack Obama at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word. Six years later, it premiered off-Broadway.

On August 6, 2026, Hamilton celebrated its 11th anniversary on Broadway!

Simon Longnight currently plays Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson on Broadway, having first played the dual roles in the Puerto Rico production. "I was introduced to Hamilton when I watched the performance Lin and Alex Lacamoire did at the White House in 2009," he says. "I was a huge fan of Lin’s work, from In the Heights to his raps on The Electric Company remake in 2009. Back then, I couldn’t have dreamed that I would one day perform opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton—and in 2019, I did just that."

As of August 10, 2026, Hamilton has played 3,956 performances on Broadway since opening night.

Hamilton holds the record for the most Tony Award nominations for a single production, earning 16 nominations in 2016. It won 11 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book and Score for Miranda, Best Direction for Thomas Kail, Best Actor for Leslie Odom Jr., Best Featured Actor for Daveed Diggs, Best Featured Actress for Renée Elise Goldsberry, Best Costume Design for Paul Tazewell, Best Lighting Design for Howell Binkley, Best Choreography for Andy Blankenbuehler and Best Orchestrations for Alex Lacamoire.

There have been 10 official productions of Hamilton across the globe, including tours. With four North American tours, a U.K. tour, an international tour, an Australian production, a production in London’s West End and a German production, the world is wide enough for Hamilfans everywhere.

Hamilton is also available to stream in both audio and visual formats. The original Broadway cast recording was released in 2015, with "The Hamilton Mixtape" following a year later. A proshot of the original Broadway cast was released on Disney+ in 2020, officially turning any living room into the room where it happens.

The original Broadway cast recording is the best-selling musical theater album of all time, earning Diamond certification from the RIAA in 2023 after surpassing 10 million units sold in the U.S. It set records for first-week digital cast album sales, became the highest-charting cast album since 1969 and made history as the first cast album to reach No. 1 on the Rap Albums chart.

Hamilton spans from Hamilton’s birth, which is debated to be either 1755 or 1757, to Eliza Hamilton’s death in 1854. While we do not see much of the aforementioned years, the time period between 1772 and 1804 is highlighted, referencing Hamilton’s arrival in New York City through his death.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... there are 47 songs in Hamilton.

Hamilton averages 144 words per minute, with 20,520 total words in the show. It would take up to six hours to perform at the pace of other Broadway shows.

There are 563 pages in the conductor's score, while the standard score is 200 pages long. For an actor starting rehearsal, the entire vocal score is 606 pages.

In "Guns and Ships," Lafayette says 19 words in three seconds, which equates to a 6.3 word-per-second average. Angelica sings five words per second in “Satisfied” with 121 words in 24 seconds.

In order to prepare for a show as verbose as Hamilton, Longnight begins each performance with an in-depth warmup routine. "I love doing breath work and breathing exercises before a show," he says. "Box breathing is fantastic not just to get ready for the show, but in life; it helps me get focused, centered and in my body."

What’s your name, man? The name Alexander Hamilton is said 19 times throughout the show.

There are 21 historical figures portrayed in the show, and four U.S. presidents. Only three presidents are played by actors—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. John Adams is mentioned several times but not seen.

There is one real candle lit in the show during "Burn," which is used to set fire to one of Hamilton's letters to Eliza. Forty-four letters are read onstage at each performance.

It's time to take a shot! Fifteen mugs and four shot glasses are used in "My Shot."

There are 2,591 costume pieces in the show.

King George III’s cape weighs approximately 12 pounds and the accompanying crown is about three pounds.

Tazewell's Tony-winning costumes are engineered for aesthetic and a dance-heavy show. Longnight looks quite fabulous as Jefferson in Act 2, but beauty is famously pain. "The hardest costume to dance in, funnily enough, is also one of my favorites," he says. "The long purple coat I enter in at the top of Act 2 is stunning, and a tripping hazard. One wrong move and it’s game over. It’s a rush every night!"

Spoiler alert for historical events! There are five onstage deaths—three in onstage duels—and two additional deaths mentioned in the opening number.

History might have its eyes on you, but why not have your eyes on history? Time travel back to the formation of the United States of America at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Just know... you'll be back.

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