2016 has become the year of Hamilton. After debuting in early 2015 off-Broadway and transferring to Broadway in August 2015, this year the hit musical won 11 Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and received an invitation to the White House to perform for President Obama. While it continues to dazzle audiences on Broadway, shows are being mounted in Chicago, London, and a US National Touring Production, which opens in San Francisco. We hope these extra productions will bring the ticket price down from the over $1,000 it has been fetching. In the meantime, though, here are some costume guides to help you bring the musical to your hometown for Halloween. Creating the costumes will require a bit of ingenuity. Our guide draws from a number of other seemingly unrelated offerrings, combining Halloween costumes you’ll never think could go together. The end result will be something truly unique. Now do Lin-Manuel Miranda proud and start crafting. There are a million costumes we haven't made, but just you wait...
These costumes will also be perfect for a SNL screening when Lin-Manuel Miranda hosts on Saturday the 8th and for when PBS airs it's documentary on the musical on the 21st of October.
Aaron Burr Halloween Costume
The narrator and antagonist of our story, Aaron Burr, is the one who shot and killed our title character Alexander Hamilton (spoiler alert for those of you who slept through US History in school). The play takes place over three decades and Aaron Burr is in most scenes, changing costumes throughout. His most memorable scene and the basis for this costume guide comes mid-way through Act II in the show-stopping “Room Where it Happens.” For a truly authentic costume, you'll need to get a bald cap to mirror Leslie Odom Jr's glorious bald head.
Black Pirate Jacket with Pockets - Shop Breeches - Shop Pirate Pistol - Shop
Bald Cap Makeup Kit - Shop Mens Colonial Shoes - Shop
White Socks - Shop Jabou Collar and Cuff set - Shop
Don't forget to practice your best jazz hands for the when Odom Jr's Aaron Burr goes off the reservation at the end of "The Room Where It Happens." Tick-BOOM!
King George III Halloween Costume
King George III of England is a peculiar character. He has fewer scenes than anyone in the musical, his character has no dialogue with any of the main characters, and yet he is amongst the most memorable of any of the characters in the musical. His songs are all soliloquies to the audience regarding his feelings about the American Revolution from England. They’re sung in the style of Brit-pop and are hilariously delivered with a huge crown upon his head. Jonathan Groff's interpretation of this character involved him gracefully walking on stage without moving much of his upper body at all. He revealed in interviews this was in order to keep the massive crown on his head. So make sure to wear the crown with pride, and if anyone laughs, send a fully armed battalion to remind them of your love.
Vampire Necklace - Shop Knee-high white socks - Shop Faux Mink Stole - Shop
Mens Colonial Shoes - Shop King of Hearts Robe - Shop
Red King Hat - Shop Michael Jackson Military Jacket - Shop
Thomas Jefferson Halloween Costume
While Aaron Burr plays the tragic villian role in Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson is the straight-up villain. Returning from France at the start of Act II, Thomas Jefferson is portrayed as an arrogant elitist hypocrite who battles our hero, Alexander Hamilton, and is one of the catalysts for Hamilton's political downfall. A bit different than you might remember from history class, eh? His garish costumes are some of the best in the musical, taking one part colonial wear and matching it with a dash of Prince. Daveed Diggs' hair is a costume piece unto itself, and a wig is an essential part of any Jefferson costume. Make sure to style it just right - it's what Thomas Jefferson would have wanted.
Mens Colonial Shoes - Shop Knee-High White Socks - Shop 20s Style Dance Cane - Shop
Purple Vest from Mad Hatter Costume - Shop Jacket and Pants from The Joker Costume - Shop
Wig -Shop Jabou Collar and Cuff Set - Shop
George Washington Halloween Costume
George Washington is one of the most venerated characters in American history, so it’s no surprise that we already stock a George Washington costume. This will serve as the base-plate for most of our remaining Act I character costumes. Act I characters are all soldiers in the Continental Army, so their uniforms are similar to General Washington’s. Lose the hat and wig though - Hamilton mixes our traditional perception of these characters with some modern touches. In this case, it's a bit more rustic version than the standard Washington tricorn hat. Don't forget the proudly bald head of Christopher Jackson. Finally, add a sash (which befits an officer of Washington's stature).
George Washington Costume - Shop Deluxe Tricorn Hat - Shop
Bald Cap Makeup Kit - Shop Michael Jackson Sash - Shop
Marquis de Lafayette Halloween Costume
Marquis de Lafayette was the secret weapon of the American Revolution, providing guns and ships to the Continental Army. Everyone give it up for America’s favorite fighting Frenchman! Take a dash of the Napoleon costume to match with this Frenchman’s uniform, then add the sword and sheath. Attached it to the belt, these tools tell us how powerful Lafayette was. Lafayette was was also portrayed by Daveed Diggs, who gave us two of Hamilton's most memorable characters. (In Act II, Diggs lets down his hair and transforms into the aforementioned Thomas Jefferson)
Napoleon Costume - Shop Sword & Sheath - Shop
Alexander Hamilton Halloween Costume
Finally, we reach our title character. The Alexander Hamilton costume is fairly easy, just take the Washington costume, ditch the hat and wig, and work on perfecting the folicile stylings of Lin-Manuel Miranda. To play this role, Miranda grew out his long, dark hair, but we'll make it easier on you and suggest a wig. All you need to do is pull it back into a ponytail and trim it up a bit. Don't forget the goatee!
George Washington Costume - Shop Goatee - Shop Black wig - Shop
Hercules Mulligan Halloween Costume
The tailor spying on the British government gets a little flair with a George Washington coat paired with a black beanie. This rough-and-tumble friend of Alexander Hamilton is portrayed by Okieriete Onaodowan as a Busta Rhymes-esque rapper, so your costume will need to do as he did and ditch the old hat and wig for a black stocking cap.
George Washington Costume - Shop Black Skullcap - Shop
John Laurens Halloween Costume
A y-yo y-yo yo what time is it? Time to break out the John Laurens costume. Take the George Washington costume, lose the hat and wig, then buy a new wig to match Anthony Ramos' flowing hair. Tie it back and boom - you'll be ready for two pints of Sam Adams (now get to work on three).
George Washington Costume - Shop Pirate Pistol - Shop
Captain Hook wig (tied back) - Shop
Award statue
For a little extra flair, why not grab 11 of these to carry around for the night? Your arms might get a little tired for carrying around one Tony Award for each win Hamilton scored last ceremony, but just ask Lin-Manuel if that's a problem for him.
Award Statue - Shop
We hope you find this costume guide useful. Notice anything missing? Perhaps a distinct lack of female representation? Have no fear - we're working on a new costume guide that will be include women in the sequel (WORK!)
