'Hamilton' Original Cast Reunited: Jonathan Groff Joins Lin-Manuel Miranda to Film Show!

Next week, three of the main cast members of Broadway smash Hamilton are leaving the show to pursue new projects: Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Aaron Burr actor Leslie Odom Jr. and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton actress Phillipa Soo. In light of the change of cast, they've decided to record the show as it is now for posterity -- including original King George III actor Jonathan Groff!

Days after Miranda took to Periscope to announce the show was being filmed with the entirety of the original cast, Groff dropped by at the Richard Rodgers Theater to reprise the role he created on Broadway, as the British Invasion-singing king at the time of the American revolution.

While it was clear this had to happen soon (Miranda, Soo and Odom Jr. only have a few days left on the show), it was unclear when exactly Groff would return until he shared he'd be on Tuesday night on a recent appearance on The Today Show.

"They're filming the show for ... they don't know why, posterity?" Groff told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kobt. "They're just capturing the original cast, and so they have a film crew coming in."

Later that day, show creator and original Alexander Hamilton actor Miranda went live on Periscope to show his fans that Groff was in the dressing room, though he wasn't dressed for the role at that point.

Groff was the first Hamilton cast member to leave the production in the early days of April, and he was replaced by Rory O'Malley. Months back, he'd been replaced for a month by O'Malley's The Book of Mormon co-star Andrew Rannells, who stepped into the role as Groff was out of town, shooting Looking in San Francisco.

So far, four actors have played the short but vital role of King George III in Hamilton, as it was actually Brian d'Arcy James who originated the role off-Broadway, in the early production days in The Public Theater. When O'Malley took the role, there was even a hilarious ceremony at the Richard Rodgers.

As Groff mentioned in his Today appearance, so far it's unclear what the recording of the Hamilton original cast will be used for, but it's certainly a relief. As some of the biggest names in the world, from the Obamas to Beyoncé, have declared their love for Hamilton, tickets for the show have turned into the most expensive on Broadway, and Miranda's last shows could be as costly as thousands of dollars.

A documentary of the show, Hamilton's America, is scheduled for a fall release on PBS.