Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jimmy Fallon Perform ‘Hamilton’ Medley With Toy Instruments

Lin-Manuel Miranda brought Hamilton back to the stage—well, the classroom—during Tuesday night’s (Aug. 5) episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, teaming up with Fallon and The Roots for a joyful medley of the musical’s most iconic numbers using toy instruments.

In celebration of Hamilton’s 10th anniversary, the Broadway creator and star donned a colonial-style costume and joined the Tonight Show host and house band to reimagine “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot” using classroom staples like tambourines, triangles, melodicas and kazoos.

The segment continued the late-night staple’s beloved Classroom Instruments series, which has featured artists from Adele to BTS in stripped-down, playful renditions of hits.

In addition to the musical tribute, Miranda sat down with Fallon to reflect on Hamilton’s legacy and revealed a new milestone: a theatrical release of the filmed stage production is officially set for Sept. 5. “We filmed most of the original cast performing Hamilton in 2016, and we always wanted to release it theatrically, but then the pandemic hit,” he said.

“We decided to release it on streaming so that everyone could see it at home… But Sept. 5, you’ll be able to see Hamilton in movie theaters nationwide and in Puerto Rico.”

Miranda also shared a now-viral anecdote about missing the night Prince attended Hamilton, revealing he was DJing a friend’s wedding while the rest of the cast partied with the icon. “The entire cast was up all night partying with Prince… It’s the FOMO of my life.”

The Hamilton filmed version originally premiered on Disney+ in July 2020 and featured a “live capture” of the stage show with the original Broadway cast. The Tonight Show episode also included a musical segment with Chance the Rapper and a guest appearance by The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper.