The story of tonight: HAMILTON’S AMERICA premiers on PBS! Those of us with HAMILTON fever have been gleefully waiting for it – a behind-the-scenes look at Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster Broadway musical.  (Just you wait! 12 hours and counting!)

The trailer shows a mix of interviews, history, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and WE HOPE plenty of footage of the live show with the original cast.

HAMILTON’S AMERICA will air on PBS tonight, Friday, October 21 at 9:00 p.m. My DVR is set, my couch cushion reserved. No cable? No problem. It will also stream online through Facebook Live on the Great Performances Facebook page, be available on the PBS Anywhere app, as well as PBS’ website. But if your plan is to watch it online, don’t waste your shot, as rumor has it the documentary will only be available on those platforms for four weeks following the broadcast.

And now, on to the book and soundtrack combo, or how I spent a good eight hours immersed in Hamilton bliss.

You’ve listened to the soundtrack non-stop. Maybe you think you have most of it memorized and sing along with it in the car, at the grocery store, and on your lunch break. (Or maybe that’s just me.)

Get the book.  HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION is a stunning creation, from the detailed behind-the-scenes stories, drool-worthy photographs, and yes, full lyrics for you to read as you listen to the score for the zillionth time.

Even the feel of the book will blow you away. Leather spine, thick, lush paper–it’s a book that will earn a prime spot on your bookshelf for years to come.

HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION  by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap, and claims our country’s origins for a diverse new generation.

HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages–“since before this was even a show,” according to Miranda–traces its development from an improbable perfor­mance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later. In addition, Miranda has written more than 200 funny, revealing footnotes for his award-winning libretto, the full text of which is published here.

Their account features photos by the renowned Frank Ockenfels and veteran Broadway photographer, Joan Marcus; exclusive looks at notebooks and emails; interviews with Questlove, Stephen Sond­heim, leading political commentators, and more than 50 people involved with the production; and multiple appearances by Presi­dent Obama himself. The book does more than tell the surprising story of how a Broadway musical became a national phenomenon: It demonstrates that America has always been renewed by the brash upstarts and brilliant outsiders, the men and women who don’t throw away their shot.

Have you read the book? Are you counting the minutes until the special airs tonight?

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