Aubrey was supposed to see a production of “Hamilton” in Jacksonville for her ninth birthday.
First Aubrey Bauman was surprised by the “Hamilton” cast and now she finally got to see the musical on Disney+.
“It was amazing to be honest,” the 9-year-old from Winter Park, Florida, told Inside Edition Digital.
With help from her mom, Aubrey set up a creative spread for her watch party.
“Satisfied Salsa,” “Hummus Jefferson,” “Quiche de Lafayette,” and “Aaron Burgers” were some of the festive foods served.
Bauman had no words when the entire original cast of Broadway’s "Hamilton," including Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed live for her on a Zoom call earlier this year.
“I was speechless,” the 9-year-old told Inside Edition Digital. “I thought I was having delusions. I hit myself like a million times to make sure I was awake.”
Aubrey was supposed to see a production of “Hamilton” in Jacksonville in March for her ninth birthday. She fell in love with musicals after seeing “School of Rock” on Broadway last year. Since theaters across the country are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Aubrey had to miss out. Instead, she watched “Mary Poppins Returns,” since Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda stars in the movie.
Her mom, Mary Ann Bauman tweeted about her disappointment, only tagging Miranda in the post. But John Krasinski caught wind of it and decided to surprise Aubrey.
A Zoom call was set up for Aubrey to be a part of Krasinski's YouTube show, “Some Good News." ("Some Good News" was subsequently sold to ViacomCBS, the parent company of Inside Edition).
“Aubrey, you had a rough week, I hear?” Krasinksi asked her on the call. “I hear you are a big ‘Hamilton’ fan? On a scale of 1 to 10, are you a 7 or 8?” “One million!” Aubrey replied.
Krasinski not only surprised Aubrey by bringing on his wife and “Mary Poppins Returns” star Emily Blunt to the Zoom chat, but also had Lin-Manuel Miranda join the call.
Then, the entire company of “Hamilton” began their live performance. Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Anthony Ramos, Jonathan Groff, Ariana DeBose and more were all singing from their individual homes.
“I haven't slept almost any night after that,” Aubrey said afterwards.
The surprise was not only an amazing experience but also helped “people feel so good at such a difficult time, that means so much” Bauman said.
Not only did Aubrey get her own private concert, but Krasinski promised to fly her up to New York City to see “Hamilton” once Broadway shows resume.
When asked on a scale of 1 to 10 how much this birthday celebration ranked: “A million. The scale explodes,” she exclaimed.
RELATED STORIES:
