Watch live: the cast of Broadway’s Hamilton performs at the White House

If you can’t get tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway — and chances are you can’t — you’re in luck. The original cast is currently at the White House, where they performed the “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot” numbers from the musical — and the White House streamed it live on its website for anyone to watch.

To open the appearance, President Obama gave brief remarks about why he believes that Hamilton is not only educational, but important (around 43 minutes into the above video clip):

Lin-Manuel [Miranda, the creator of Hamilton] identified a quintessentially American story: The character of [Alexander] Hamilton, a striving immigrant who escaped poverty, made his way to the New World, climbed to the top by sheer force of will, and pluck, and determination. Lin-Manuel saw something of his own family, and every immigrant family.

And in the Hamilton that Lin-Manuel and his incredible cast and crew bring to life, a man who is just like his country — young scrappy, and hungry — we recognize the improbable story of America, and the spirit that has sustained our nation for over 240 years.

The cast had been hyping up the appearance all week with the hashtag #Bam4Ham. Even Michelle Obama had been anticipating the event, posting a link to creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s performance of Hamilton’s opening song at the White House in 2009 and telling the cast via her Twitter that “we’ve been waiting in the East Wing for you.”

(And if just that phrase made you start humming the corresponding Hamilton lyric, you should really check this out.)

To tune in for the opening notes of “Alexander Hamilton,” click forward around 54 minutes in to the above video.

Updated to reflect that the livestream has ended, and Obama’s remarks.