"What'd I Miss?" A Week of Lin-Manuel Firsts as the Drama Book Shop Reopens at its New W39th St Location

It’s quite a week for Lin-Manuel Miranda and David Korins. On Wednesday, the movie premiere of Miranda’s In the Heights musical will open the Tribeca Film Festival, while this is the first full week of Immersive Van Gogh at Pier 36 on the Lower East Side, a project for which Korins is creative director. Best of all for drama fans and book lovers — Thursday is also the day that the Drama Book Shop reopens its doors.

The new Drama Book Shop. All photos: Phil O’Brien.

The 104-year-old specialty store that was most recently located at 250 West 40th Street, is set to reopen on June 10 at 266 West 39th Street. And it’s all thanks to the dramatic intervention of Miranda, with Hamilton director Thomas Kail, lead producer Jeffrey Seller, and theater owner James L. Nederlander.

Korins? Well he’s the man behind the design of the new store, and a peep through the window reveals it is really something special. There’s a huge sculptural representation of a bookworm, created with 2,400 books, which snakes overhead, and Hamilton fans will be delighted by the duo of armchairs which are replicas of those used by George Washington in the Broadway show.

The new premises include a coffee bar serving food and drink — including a blend from Puerto Rico — where Miranda’s parents are from. In addition to the 3,500 sq ft main floor, there is also a 3,000 sq ft basement

“My hope is that we can continue to be a hub for the theater community,” Miranda told the New York Times. “I don’t expect we’ll make a great fortune, but I hope with the coffee we’ll break even.”

The current pandemic means the store has a capacity limit. If you’re planning to visit, best to make a free reservation online — but there will also be a line for those without reservations.