Lin-Manuel Miranda calls Welsh ‘beautifully musical’ language

Lin-Manuel Miranda has described Welsh as “one of the most beautifully musical languages ever, that would be so fun to write in”.

But the creator of the Pulitzer prize-winning musical Hamilton said it may still be too soon after 2012’s movie Brave, which is set in Scotland, for a Disney animation set in Wales.

“The thing is, it’s sort of like a bus, it’s got to come all the way back around the world and back again, so here’s hoping,” he said.

Miranda said he fell in love with Wales while filming the BBC drama His Dark Materials in 2018 and praised its castles and cuisine.

Speaking to Lucy Owen on BBC Radio Wales Miranda said his London friends were not as enthusiastic about Cardiff: “If I’m being perfectly frank, when they heard I was going, they were a little snobby about it.

“And then we got there and we were so delighted, we really fell in love with the place. We’re always looking for a way to conspire to come back, maybe it’s work or some other way.

“You have a gorgeous castle every 500 feet, incredible cuisine, it’s a beautiful part of the world.”

Miranda and his family certainly embraced life in Wales, as videos of the musical theatre star singing karaoke at a Cardiff bar went viral during his stay.

It came about from a fan messaging Miranda about the weekly musical theatre karaoke at Porters.

“I was like, yes, I’m clearly going to that,” he said.

“I didn’t expect to make headlines. I just wanted to sing some show tunes in a bar.”

One of his favourite places to visit with his family is Hay-on-Wye, which he described as a “haven” for ice cream shops and bookshops.

His musical Hamilton is embarking on its first UK tour and comes to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre in November.

Miranda said he was thrilled that Wales was finally going to get a production of the multi-award winning musical based on the life of one of the founding fathers of the United States, Alexander Hamilton.

The inclusive casting was ground-breaking as actors of different racial and ethnic backgrounds played America’s founding fathers, challenging the traditional portrayals.

But Miranda said this happened very naturally: “I was not picturing the people on our US currency. I was imagining who is the best hip hop artist to play this part.

“So I kind of was never picturing the literal founders and I think what it does, it sort of blows the dust off of our history books.

“It’s like ‘oh, this looks like what America looks like now’, these actors on the stage.”

Those heading to the show in Cardiff could be in luck, as Miranda said the Hamilton tour could be the excuse he’s been looking for to return to Wales.