Lin-Manuel Miranda is known for being on the Broadway stage, but people are now hailing his recent role in rescuing a struggling bookstore from rising rent prices.
The “Hamilton” star is now one of the four new owners of The Drama Book Shop – a beloved landmark of the New York City theater scene.
Over the course of the last century, the store has peddled hundreds of thousands of scripts, sheet music, plays, and other theater-related goods. It was even given an honorary Tony award for its services to the stage in 2011.
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Due to expensive rent rates, however, The Drama Book Shop was preparing to close its doors – until the masterminds behind “Hamilton” rushed in to help.
Miranda has bought out the bookstore alongside the play’s producer, Jeffrey Seller, the play’s director, Thomas Kail, and the president of the Nederland Organization for live entertainment.
The Drama Book Shop will be closing its doors at its current location later this week, but the “Hamilton” owners will be reopening the store in a cheaper part of town later this year.
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The owner of the store, Rozanne Seelen, says that she had been resigned to the store’s closure before Manuel and his colleagues saved the day.
“It’s the chronic problem — the rents were just too high, and I’m 84 years old — I just didn’t have the drive to find a new space and make another move,” Seelen told the New York Times. “Lin-Manuel and Tommy are my white knights.”
Hey Patreon peeps, @TheHamilcast made it out to #HamiltonPR! pic.twitter.com/gbcCQBRagQ
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) January 16, 2019
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