Lin-Manuel Miranda bids farewell to Hamilton

Tony Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda has taken his final bow as Hamilton in the hit Broadway musical.

The playwright/actor and his co-stars Leslie Odom, Jr. and Phillipa Soo made their final performances in Miranda's critically-acclaimed hip-hop musical, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers.

The Richard Rodgers Theater is sold out night after night for the show, and Saturday (09Jul16) was no different, with famous faces including Jennifer Lopez, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Rosie O'Donnell, Jane Fonda, Spike Lee, Mariska Hargitay and Aaron Paul all spotted in the audience.

There was also a one-minute standing ovation from the star-studded crowd upon Miranda's entrance in the opening song, Alexander Hamilton.

The trio of actors has been part of the original cast of the musical since its Off-Broadway run at New York's Public Theater in February last year (15). It later transferred to Broadway in August (15), where it had unprecedented advance box office ticket sales, and went on to win 11 Tony Awards last month (Jun16).

Prior to their finale, the musical stars took to Twitter to express their heartfelt gratitude to the fans who have made the show such a huge box office success.

"Thanks to all for the love and support the past 2 yrs (sic)," Soo tweeted on Saturday. The 26-year-old actress, whose performance as Eliza Schuyler earned her a Tony nomination for best leading actress added, "I will cherish #Hamilton and everyone (at) the (Richard Rodgers) Theater. 'Til next time, folks!'"

Odom, Jr. took to social media to dedicate his final performance in the musical to the recent victims of gun violence, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were both killed in police shootings earlier this week (beg04Jul16).

"For me, today is for Alton, and his children, and the struggle. For Orlando, and Philando, and the slain officers in Dallas..." the 34-year-old, who won a Tony for his role as vice president Aaron Burr, wrote.

"The most profound legacy of #HamiltonBway will be that it has set a table for strangers to connect, to have meaningful conversations. #HamiltonBway has been our common ground. I am excited and cautiously optimistic for a real and lasting spiritual awakening amongst us.

"May the conversation continue," he added. "I'll see you out here in these streets. Onward. We have work to do. Love. Forever."

Meanwhile, Miranda kept his farewell tweets simple, posting just before the show started, "Okay. Let's go. Love you". After his final performance was over, he concluded, "It's been a bit of a day. Wits intact. Love you. Good night."

The Tony award-winning actor and writer also posted a photo of his ponytail, which he had cut off immediately after his last performance as Alexander Hamilton.

Despite leaving the musical production, none of the stars will be leaving the limelight for long. Soo will be back on Broadway in the spring (17), playing the title role in the musical adaptation of the 2001 film Amelie.

Odom, Jr. has a new jazz album out, while Miranda will be focusing on his new-found Hollywood career. He's composing the music for the new Disney film Moana, and will later star as a street lamplighter named Jack alongside Emily Blunt in Disney's Mary Poppins Returns.

He recently collaborated on a charity track with Jennifer Lopez, while production bosses at The Weinstein Co. also picked up the movie rights for his previous Broadway success In The Heights, which featured a semi-autobiographical story penned by Miranda himself.