Lin-Manuel Miranda shares footage of eighth-grade Macbeth play

With musicals like Hamilton and In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda has added new works to the canon of American theater. But he still respects the classics. On Friday, Miranda posted a video of himself from eighth grade, acting out a rendition of Macbeth. Miranda played the title character, while his friend Ben Hong played rival warrior Macduff.

“2017 has been brutal. So here’s 8th grade Macbeth,” Miranda tweeted alongside the video. “Shout out to Ben Hong, my favorite Macduff forever.”

Split into two videos, the mini-film is a bit of a montage, cutting between different scenes as Macbeth and Macduff duel out their differences (albeit with curtain rods instead of swords). Miranda and his friend filmed the video out on the street. Hilariously, towards the end of their play, a random woman walks across the screen in front of them. “I don’t know who this is but she is immortal now, bless,” Miranda tweeted.

Miranda’s admiration of Macbeth has remained lifelong. Shakespeare’s play even gets a shout-out in the Hamilton song “Take a Break” (I trust you’ll understand the reference to another Scottish tragedy without my having to name the play / They think me Macbeth, and ambition is my folly / I’m a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive pain / Madison is Banquo, Jefferson’s Macduff / And Birnam Wood is Congress on its way to Dunsinane”).

Watch the videos below.