While many fans are pumped that the biggest Broadway smash hit is performing live on television Sunday night, some Hamilfans are wondering — why isn't the Hamilton cast at the Grammy Awards? They're performing from the Richard Rogers Theater in New York City via satellite, but why couldn't they just go to the show?
The simplest answer? There are Hamilton performances on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night. There's no way that the entire cast could fly to Los Angeles, perform at the STAPLES Center, and be back and able to do the show. It wouldn't be healthy, and that's not fair for the ticket holders. Jetlag is for real, y'all! Plus, this means they can use their set, which has some levels and moving parts that may or may not come into play.
The Grammy Awards have had satellite performances before — the last was the late Amy Winehouse, who performed from London in 2008. Still, most time that musical theater casts perform at the Grammys, they are there, so this is a rarity. It's also the first time that Hamilton has performed for a live televised audience — they did not appear at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and haven't even done talk show appearances yet.
It's a little unfortunate that they weren't able to be at the show. Hamilton is nominated for Best Musical Theater Album, and it would be nice if Lin-Manuel Miranda was able to be there to accent if and when he wins. Meanwhile, the Richard Rodgers is filled with invited friends and family ready to cheer on this monumental performance.
