A Real Song And Dance Man

He’s won a Pulitzer, reinvented the modern musical and is happily married to his high school sweetheart. He’s now set to star in Mary Poppins Returns, which begs the question: could we possibly love Lin-Manuel Miranda any more?

- Lauren Sams

The first rule of celebrity interviews is not to ask the same old questions everyone asks. But when it comes to Lin-Manuel Miranda, it’s hard to hold back. So, when is Hamilton coming to Australia? The answer is “at some point,” which is vague but hopeful. It’s also extremely polite, given that this interview isn’t about Miranda’s Tony Award-winning, record-breaking, cultural atom bomb of a musical. No. It’s about what comes next, when you take the life story of one of the US founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, turn it into a smash hit hip-hop Broadway musical, blow everybody clean away, and turn your sights to other things.

Specifically: Mary Poppins Returns.

The film is a sequel to the 1964 Julie Andrews classic; Emily Blunt plays the titular Mary, and Miranda is Jack, a lamplighter and Mary’s love interest. “It’sdaunting to remake a beloved film like Mary Poppins,” he says. “I think it’s very smart not to do a reboot, it’s following on from the story.” Miranda, who one imagines could have his pick of roles, was drawn to the project for the chance to work with director Rob Marshall (Chicago) and co-star Blunt, who he says is “so generous with every member of the cast and crew”.