Hamilton, the groundbreaking hip-hop musical about the nation’s founding fathers, has been nominated for 16 Tony Awards, the most in Broadway history.

Hamilton, the groundbreaking hip-hop musical about the nation’s founding fathers, has been nominated for 16 Tony Awards, the most in Broadway history.

The show is already the biggest success Broadway has seen in years, and has become the rare piece of theater to cross over into popular culture. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has won the Pulitzer Prize, aMacArthur Foundation genius grant, and many other prizes; its sold-out audiences are packed with dignitaries who are showering it with praise — Michelle Obama called the show “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life.”

On Tuesday, the show was singled out in every category of theatermaking: acting, writing, directing, design. In a few categories, including lead actor and featured actor in a musical, performers from Hamilton will face off against one another.

The popularity of Hamilton, intensified by social media, late-night television, music downloads and now a fast-selling behind-the-scenes book, is so great that it is expected to boost viewership of this year’s Tony Awards, which are to be broadcast from the Beacon Theater on June 12.

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