The Moth The Moth Radio Hour: Live from the United Palace
9 snips
Sep 16, 2025 
Lin-Manuel Miranda, renowned for his work on Hamilton, shares heartfelt insights from his early days in musical theater, revealing how creativity intertwined with personal experiences. Quiara Alegría Hudes discusses her struggles as a music student and how those shaped her as a writer. Led Black reflects on his marriage and the cultural nuances of masculinity he discovered through it. Together, they weave tales of identity, connection, and the profound impact of music in their lives.
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Truth Pops Out In Performance
- Lin-Manuel Miranda recounts how seeing Rent made him realize truth could emerge in a musical and inspired him to write his first show.
- He describes a high-school production where a child's death triggered memories and showed him that truth 'pops out' in storytelling.
Personal Truths Make Characters Real
- Miranda explains that small, personal images can reveal a character's inner life and aren't always in source biographies.
- He says lines like "I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory" come from long personal imagining, not direct historical text.
Music Gave Her Refuge And Identity
- Quiara Alegría Hudes describes chasing "good notes" from childhood, finding refuge in drums, folkloric music, and family ceremonies.
- She recounts arriving at Yale and discovering the music curriculum erased many of the names and practices she loved.
