Lin-Manuel Miranda has a new song out! It's called "Fearless" and it premiered last night at the crossroads of the world in Times Square. The song was written for actress Mandy Gonzalez's new album of the same name. Right now, she's starring in Hamilton on Broadway as Angelica Schuyler. The two have worked together for many years, including originating the role of Nina Rosario in Miranda's first hit show, In The Heights. Gonzalez was also Idina Menzel's standby as Princess Amneris in Aida and was a backup singer for Bette Midler. “I have been working on it pretty much my whole life. But it went into recording this year,” Gonzalez explained to me on the red carpet. “It’s all original music.” "Fearless" also features songs by Jennifer Nettles, Bill Sherman and Tom Kitt. Gonzalez belted out the powerful song during Viva Broadway, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage month presented by the Broadway League. I was lucky to have the chance to speak with Miranda there, who told me, "the goal is to bring more Latino audiences to theater."
The concert featured performances by Ana Villafane and the cast of On Your Feet, Emma Pfaeffle (Varuca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and Rodney Ingram (The Phantom of the Opera). It began at 6:30 and ran for a half hour.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was one of the hosts of the evening, joked about the crowd. “What’s up tourists just walking by?” he exclaimed. “You walked by on a good day.”
Here are a few photos from the night:
