The New York Times - USA (2020-06-28)

2 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

CROSSWORD

THE MAGAZINE, PAGE 58

OBITUARIES

PAGES 30-

TV LISTINGS

METROPOLITAN, PAGE 9

WEATHER

PAGE 28

The Newspaper

And Beyond

Contact the Newsroom

[email protected]

Share a News Tip

[email protected] or nytimes.com/tips

Contact Customer Care

nytimes.com/contactus

or 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637)

VIDEO

This week’s “Behind the Cover”

segment previews The New York

Times Magazine cover story,

“What is Owed,” an essay by

Nikole Hannah-Jones that makes

the case for reparations to Afri-

can-Americans.

nytimes.com/magazine

AUDIO

Joe Biden has vowedto pick a

woman as his running mate on the

Democratic ticket. In the latest

episode of “The Argument,” Mi-

chelle Goldberg and Frank Bruni

debate which candidate is the best

choice to push Mr. Biden to vic-

tory. nytimes.com/opinion

QUIZ

True or false? We can release up

to 10 times more viral particles

through speech than a cough. In

what year did a manufacturing

error with the original polio vac-

cine lead to illness and death in

some children? Test your knowl-

edge with our weekly health quiz.

nytimes.com/well

EVENT

Are your parental coping skills

holding up during the pandemic?

In a live audio event, join parents

from The Times and special

guests for a night of self care and

conversation. July 15 at 8 p.m.

E.D.T. To RSVP, visit

timesevents.nytimes.com.

June 28, 1917.The first wave of U.S. soldiers arrived in Europe for World War I amid

rousing cheers in a French port. Details of the landing were kept secret, but 14,000 in-

fantry troops had arrived in Saint-Nazaire along the northwest coast of France. “Enthusi-

asm rose to fever pitch when it was learned that the transports and convoys had success-

fully passed the (German) submarine zone,” The Times reported. American units entered

combat four months later, and on Nov. 3 the first three U.S. soldiers were killed in the war.

Subscribers can browse the complete Times archives through 2002 at timesmachine.nytimes.com.

On This Day in History

A MEMORABLE HEADLINE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

FIRST AMERICAN TROOPS REACH FRANCE

The email arrived on my second day as the

theater reporter here at The New York

Times. It was March 10, 2015, and a publi-

cist from the Public Theater, an Off Broad-

way nonprofit, was welcoming me to the

beat. “I think one of the best ways to get to

know the Public right now is to come see

HAMILTON,” she wrote. (For reasons I

have yet to understand, theater publicists

generally put show titles in all caps.)

I went to a matinee five days later, and

in the five years since, I’ve written more

than 100 articles that prominently mention

the show. It goes without saying that

“Hamilton,” which explores America’s

revolutionary origins through the life of

Alexander Hamilton, has dominated my

tenure — I’ve never known the theater

beat without it, and until the coronavirus

pandemic prompted an unimaginably long

shutdown of Broadway, I thought it would

be the biggest theater story I’d ever cover.

Now “Hamilton,” which transferred from

the Public to Broadway in July 2015, won

every conceivable award, and became a

much-loved and much-quoted juggernaut,

is back in the news, because a live-capture

filming of the original cast is streaming on

Disney Plus starting July 3.

So what’s it been like to spend five years

on the Hamilbeat?

I sensed right from the start that this

musical, with its cast made up mostly of

actors of color and its score influenced by

hip-hop and pop music, was going to be a

huge story. I remember being determined,

that summer, to land an article about the

production on the front page, convinced

that the paper needed to make a big early

statement about the show as a game-

changing reflection on our culture, our

politics and our history. Ultimately, the

Page 1 gods agreed.

A feature that followed about Lin-

Manuel Miranda’s musical upbringing was

particularly fun to report — as we explored

the Venn diagram in which show tunes and

hip-hop overlap, he started playing random

songs from his iTunes library and riffing

about what each one meant to him.

But for me, the moment that really illus-

trated Miranda’s passion for the musical

songbook came on the afternoon I joined

him to watch “Hamilton” from a hidden

bandstand at the Public. When I explained

that after “Hamilton” I was going to the

opening of “Fun Home,” he burst, from

memory, into a passage from “Ring of

Keys,” the show’s yearning anthem, beauti-

ful but at that point little-known.

I’ve seen the show about eight times,

and over the years I’ve taken deep dives

into its finances and have written about its

prices and its profits and its people.

There’s been a persistent, although rarely

discussed, tension over how much cover-

age is too much — the theater desk peri-

odically experiences “Hamilton” fatigue,

and producers of other shows occasionally

criticize what they see as an overemphasis

on the show. But readers seem to love

“Hamilton” stories, and that means assign-

ing editors do too.

The story I waited longest for was about

Miranda’s relationship to Puerto Rico,

where his parents grew up and where he

spent his childhood summers. The island’s

influence on his art had always struck me

as significant and underexplored. I knew

the best way to tell that story would be to

see Puerto Rico through his eyes, at least

as much as a journalist can, and when he

announced that he was bringing “Hamil-

ton” to San Juan, I had my peg. I asked to

meet him there, and in fall 2018 he agreed;

a devastating hurricane and campus un-

rest made the story more complex than

either he or I could have anticipated, and

I’m glad we did it.

There were stories that got away. The

one I most mourn was about the relation-

ship between toddlers and “Hamilton” — I

was intrigued by why the show’s lyrics and

melodies are such a memorization magnet

for small children — but I never could sell

my editors on that one.

And maybe it’s just as well that I never

got to this idea: I wanted to do a story

about the German translators tasked with

adapting the show’s word-drunk and oh-so-

American libretto for its first foreign-lan-

guage production. But the subject of lyric

translation is arcane, the Hamburg produc-

tion is delayed, and now I think we’ll have

to wait to hear “young, scrappy and hun-

gry” auf Deutsch.

Inside The Times

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Lin-Manuel Miranda holds the Puerto Rican flag after the premiere of “Hamilton” in San Juan.

ERIKA P. RODRIGUEZ FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Five Years of Covering ‘Hamilton’

By MICHAEL PAULSON

Read about the Disney Plus adaptation of

“Hamilton” in Arts & Leisure, Page 6.

The New York Times (ISSN 0362-4331) is published

daily. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and

at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send ad-

dress changes to The New York Times, P.O. Box 8042,

Davenport, IA, 52808-8042.

Mail Subscription Rates* 1 Yr. 6 Mos.

Daily and Sunday.......................$1040.00 $520.

Monday-Saturday ........................936.00 468.

Sunday only ..................................520.00 260.

Times Book Review.................................. 1 Yr.$208.

Large Print Weekly.................................. 1 Yr. 114.

Higher rates, available on request, for mail-

ing outside the U.S., or for the New York edi-

tion outside the Northeast: 1-800-631-2580.

*Not including state or local tax.

The Times occasionally makes its list of home deliv-

ery subscribers available to marketing part-

ners or third parties who offer products or ser-

vices that are likely to interest its readers. If you

prefer that we do not share this information, please

notify Customer Service, P.O. Box 8042, Davenport,

IA, 52808-8042, or e-mail [email protected].

All advertising published in The New York Times is

subject to the applicable rate card, available from the

advertising department. The Times reserves the right

not to accept an advertiser’s order. Only publication of

an advertisement shall constitute final acceptance.

© 2020, The New York Times Company. All rights

reserved.

A. G. Sulzberger, Publisher

Mark Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer

R. Anthony Benten, Treasurer

Diane Brayton, General Counsel and Secretary

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018-

A. G. SULZBERGER

Publisher

Founded in 1851

ADOLPH S. OCHS

Publisher 1896-

ARTHUR HAYS SULZBERGER

Publisher 1935-

ORVIL E. DRYFOOS

Publisher 1961-

ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER

Publisher 1963-

ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER JR.

Publisher 1992-

NEWS

DEAN BAQUETExecutive Editor

JOSEPH KAHNManaging Editor

REBECCA BLUMENSTEINDeputy Managing Editor

STEVE DUENESDeputy Managing Editor

MATTHEW PURDYDeputy Managing Editor

ELISABETH BUMILLERAssistant Managing Editor

SAM DOLNICKAssistant Managing Editor

MONICA DRAKEAssistant Managing Editor

MATTHEW ERICSONAssistant Managing Editor

ALISON MITCHELLAssistant Managing Editor

CAROLYN RYANAssistant Managing Editor

SAM SIFTONAssistant Managing Editor

MICHAEL SLACKMANAssistant Managing Editor

EDITORIAL

KATHLEEN KINGSBURYEditorial Page Editor

BUSINESS

MARK THOMPSONChief Executive Officer

ROLAND A. CAPUTOChief Financial Officer

MEREDITH KOPIT LEVIENChief Operating Officer

DIANE BRAYTONGeneral Counsel and Secretary

ELLEN C. SHULTZExecutive V.P., Talent and Inclusion

WILLIAM T. BARDEENChief Strategy Officer

R. ANTHONY BENTENChief Accounting Officer, Treasurer

STEPHEN DUNBAR-JOHNSONPresident, International

Find Us on Facebook.com/frankstellanyc Find Us on Instagram.com/frankstellanyc Phone Orders Accepted

FREE SHIPPING!

You may visit us at your convenience during store hours or book a private appointment if you prefer.

Private appointments are available in the morning (between 9 AM-11 AM) and evening (between 6 PM-8 PM.) M- Sat.

Please visit us online:

http://www.frankstellanyc.com

Reg. $295,Sale $

Linen Sportcoats,

A Breeze at $ 200

It's been a long 96 days. Firstly, we'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to our

customers for your support during this trying time. We wouldn't have made

it to the other side without you. We are pleased to announce that our doors

are once again OPEN for in-store shopping at both our NYC locations!

Crafted from a lighweight, soft washed 100% linen fabric, our unstructured

sportcoats are both breathable and soft and the key to summer comfort.

You’ll look sharp and keep cool in these tailored fit jackets.

In your choice of navy blue, light blue or tan.

NEW YORK LOCATIONS

921 7th Ave.(cor. 58 st.)

M-Sat. 11-6, Sun.12-6 (212) 957-

440 Columbus Ave.(cor. 81 st.)

M-Sat. 11-6, Sun.12-6 (212) 877-

WE’RE BACK!

OUR STORES ARE

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

The truth

is worth it.

Helpingyoulivebetter.

Nomatterwhereyoulive.

nytimes.com/realestate