Jimmy FallonandLin-Manuel Mirandajust united in song for a very special cause.
Tuesday’s episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonopened up with a rare filmed performance fromHamilton— with Fallon joining Miranda onstage in Puerto Rico, where the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is currently playing a limited three-week engagement.
Miranda, 39, is back in the show he also wrote and created, playing the title character again alongside a sea of talent including actors Brandon Armstrong, Rubén J. Carbajal and Simon Longnight. All three participated in Tuesday’sTonight Showkickoff, singing (fittingly) “The Story of Tonight.”
Of course, Fallon couldn’t help but make some adjustments, changing Miranda’s lyrics to let the audience know that his NBC late night show was broadcasting live from Puerto Rico, too.
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Fallon tookThe Tonight Showto the Caribbean island (and United States territory) to spotlight the work Miranda has been doing there to help raise money and awareness for those still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.
“You have no idea how much it means to people that you’re here,” Miranda told Fallon. “The fact that you are here … you mean so much to people here and it really means the world that you came down and shown a spotlight on the island.”
“There are friends who say ‘good luck,’ and there are friends who say, ‘Hold on. I’m coming with you,’ ” Miranda had previously tweeted at Fallon.
More than3,000 deaths and about $90 billion in damageshave plagued Puerto Rico since the storm hit in September 2017. Miranda, whose father is from Puerto Rico, grew up visiting the locale every summer.
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To coincide with the run, Miranda has co-launched The Flamboyan Arts Fund, dedicated to preserving, amplifying and sustaining the arts in Puerto Rico. All profits fromHamilton‘s Puerto Rico performances — running at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferrè theatre — go toward the fund.
“Puerto Ricans are the most resilient people on the earth,” Miranda shared on opening night. “I’m in awe of the people every time I come here.”
Fallon, who also appeared on theHamilton Mixtape, later sat down with Miranda in the episode to discuss his relief efforts.
“People are so proud,” Miranda told Fallon. “People are so happy that this show is coming. I just keep hearing, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve been doing.’ It’s been so wonderful.”
There’s also another milestone. “It’s also been the first time bringing my kids to the island, so they’re getting their real Puerto Rico life,” Miranda said of his sons, Sebastian, 4, and Francisco, 11 months.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonairs weekdays (11:30 p.m. ET) on NBC.
source: people.com
