Brother Brings Down the House With 'Hamilton' Rap at Sister's Wedding
Matt Rotner surprised his sister and brother-in-law at their reception.
— -- A revolution was happening inside a Beverly Hills ballroom Saturday when Matt Rotner gave a “Hamilton”-inspired toast at his sister’s wedding that brought down the house.
Rotner, 25, of New York City, changed the lyrics of “Alexander Hamilton,” the Broadway musical’s opening song, to tell the story of the love affair between his sister, Jenna Rotner, and her husband, Ross Drucker.
Rotner, who works for Casamigos Tequila, spent the past year memorizing the opening number and creating new lyrics to perform it at his sister’s wedding Saturday at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He saw “Hamilton” with his family in October 2015, just weeks after his sister’s engagement, and was inspired immediately.
“Literally after the first number I turned to my mom and said, ‘I know exactly what I’m going to do for the wedding,’” Rotner told ABC News. “I thought I have a year to do this. I know I can do this.”
Rotner spent his daily two-hour round-trip work commute listening to “Alexander Hamilton” to learn the beat and then writing his own lyrics on his iPhone.
Rotner, whose family is known for big performances at family events, kept his song a surprise from the bride and groom. Jenna Rotner said she had knew it would not be an ordinary speech when she saw her brother did not have a prepared speech on paper.
“My first thought was, he’s doing 'Hamilton,'” she recalled. “For some reason, I just knew.”
Rotner relied on the couple's love story, as described on their wedding website, for the lyrics. The song began, “How does a Met fan, golfer, Long Island boy, an accountant, dropped right in the meltin’ pot, yes, New York City, ain't it pretty, the fancy lights and shows, go meet a Jew from California you know where this story goes?”
The result was a six-minute performance that brought a crowd of 280 black-tie guests, including Casamigos partner Rande Gerber and his wife, Cindy Crawford, to their feet.
“I tried to be in the moment and not pay attention to the audience,” Rotner said, admitting he did pay close attention to the bride and groom’s reactions. “And then everyone stood up and went crazy.”
Jenna Rotner described herself and her wedding guests as "completely blown away."
"It was amazing," said Jenna, whose wedding video was first shared by The Huffington Post. "We just keep watching it over and over again."