JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It can be challenging to find some good news in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, so challenging in fact that actor John Krasinski launched a YouTube channel about it.
The aptly named channel, “Some Good News,” featured a young star in its second episode: Aubrey Bauman, who was supposed to see the Broadway musical “Hamilton” in Jacksonville with her family to celebrate her 9th birthday.
Realizing her daughter’s disappointment, Aubrey’s mother Mary Ann sent a tweet on March 21 to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the star and creator of the hit musical:
“We were supposed to see Hamilton in Jacksonville tonight— DD’s 9th bday present (seeing Hamilton has been her dream since she saw her 1st Broadway show last year) but we’re home watching Mary Poppins Returns instead. At least we’re safe and healthy.”
Even though Miranda did not respond to the tweet, it caught the attention of Krasinski, who invited Aubrey to join him on “Some Good News.” A few minutes in, Krasinski welcomed his first guest — his spouse, Mary Poppins herself, actress Emily Blunt.
Then Krasinski had another surprise for Aubrey, telling the 9-year-old that he’s flying her out to see “Hamilton” in New York City when the show resumes. But the surprises didn’t stop there. The next was an appearance from Miranda, the girl’s hero.
“Hi Aubrey, how are you? I’m sorry you didn’t get to see ‘Hamilton,’” Miranda could be heard saying as he joined the Zoom call. “I’m so glad to meet you.”
The video has since gone viral, racking up easily more than 6 million views.
News4Jax recently caught up with Aubrey and Mary Ann Bauman, who were starstruck by Krasinki’s response along with everything that followed.
“I know when Lin-Manuel Miranda came on, I thought (Aubrey) was going to jump out of her seat, to be honest,” Mary Ann said of her daughter’s surprise.
Added Aubrey: “I almost fainted.”
During the call, the family was surprised to see the original cast members of “Hamilton” join the conference call one by one. Then they all serenaded her with the musical’s hit song, “Alexander Hamilton,” which just so happens to be Aubrey’s favorite.
“I was excited, having delusions,” Aubrey recalled. “I was hitting myself, I was scratching myself, I was yelling at me in my head.”
In other words, the conference call was the perfect consolation prize for the young girl who just wanted to see her favorite Broadway show live in person.
While Aubrey admits she still struggles to find the words to describe what was certainly a surreal experience, her mother said the 6-million-plus people who viewed the video on YouTube have definitely had something to say about it.
“The thing that surprised me afterwards was seeing all the comments from people who needed a boost and needed some positivity in all this craziness that we’re dealing with,” she said. “And just the fact that her being apart of this brought that to so many people, that was even more overwhelming for me.”
If nothing else, it’s proof that one person or one tweet can really make a difference in millions of people’s lives.