Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo in the “Hamilton” Sing-Along Party at the Bettendorf Public Library -- June 6.
Saturday, June 6, 2 p.m.
Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf IA
On June 6, the Bettendorf Room at the Bettendorf Public Library will definitely be "the Room where it happens," with the venue hosting a 2 p.m. Hamilton Sing-Along Party in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fans of the 2020 Disney presentation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's masterpiece are invited to sing along with Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the Schuyler sisters, and, of course, Alexander Hamilton, as well as enjoy some popcorn and raise a glass of lemonade in salute to freedom.
Likely the most popular and influential American musical of the 21st Century to date, Hamilton is a sung- and rapped-through musical about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, with its music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow, the show incorporates hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, and traditional show tunes, as well as the color-conscious casting of non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. The musical made its off-Broadway debut in February of 2015, where its engagement was sold out, and subsequently transferred to Broadway that August. With the New York Times calling it “proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come,” Hamilton received enthusiastic critical reception and unprecedented advance box office sales, and in 2016, the show received a record-setting 16 Tony Award nominations – winning 11 including Best Musical – as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, 5000 Broadway Productions, RadicalMedia, Nevis Productions, and Old 320 Sycamore Pictures, the video version of Hamilton was filmed over three performances in 2016, and directed by Thomas Kail, who co-produced it with Jeffrey Seller and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda, who wrote the music, lyrics, and book, stars as Treasury Secretary/Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, along with the musical's original Broadway cast, including Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Jonathan Groff.
Originally planned for theatrical release on October 15, 2021, Hamilton was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and was instead released worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to stream on Disney+ on July 3, 2020. Acclaimed by critics for its visuals, performances, and direction, it became one of the most-streamed films of 2020. The film was named as one of the best films of 2020 by the American Film Institute, and was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Miranda) at the 78th Golden Globe Awards, while Daveed Diggs was nominated for SAG Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie. Hamilton was also nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two, including Outstanding Variety Special. Hamilton was also theatrically released on September 5, 2025, to celebrate the musical's 10th anniversary
The Hamilton Sing-Along Party will take place in the Bettendorf Public Library's Bettendorf Room on June 6, participation in the 2 p.m. screening is free, and more information is available by visiting (563)344-4175 and visiting BettendorfLibrary.org.
