"One last time" Wednesday afternoon fans of the hit musical "Hamilton" can watch a pre-matinee performance outside the Richard Rogers Theatre in Midtown.
The weekly tradition is coming to an end almost two months after "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda left the starring role of Alexander Hamilton, exiting the show with two other cast members.
Live "Ham4Ham" performances premiered when the musical opened on Broadway last July, a compliment to its daily $10 lottery drawings. The first featured Miranda and Jonathan Groff, then playing King George.
Ham4Ham shows went on hiatus in January, when the lottery moved online, but returned in April as a once-a-week event.
“We love the online lotto: it’s brought such a diverse group of people, people from all over New York, not just the people who can hang out in Times Square for a half hour… but we also missed giving you a New York experience,” Miranda said the day he announced the live performances' revival near the Richard Rodgers Theatre on West 46th Street.
"Hamilton" is putting its Wednesday prelude performances on ice again, its official Twitter account announced Tuesday. The news was reported by multiple outlets.
After tomorrow, we'll be retiring Live #Ham4Ham shows for now. We love seeing your faces every Wednesday, but we have to say goodbye. (3/4)
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) August 30, 2016
The lottery will continue to operate online, with digital episodes of Ham4Ham posted "from time to time," the account said.
Grappling for the words to express their dismay on Twitter, more than one fan quoted the same line from a duet between Alexander Hamilton and George Washington:
@HamiltonMusical teach me how to say goodbye 😥
— Maggie Wiggin (@maggie162) August 30, 2016
A final live lottery and Ham4Ham show will take place Wednesday at noon. Reflect on all spontaneous joy that "Hamilton" actors gave us by watching one of the first ever performances:
