The Story of Tonight

The first reprise of the song is the twelfth song in Act One of the musical. It takes place following the wedding of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780. The group from the first rendition of the song is reunited, all of them drunk from the party and jokingly singing about the consequences of his marriage. They refer to Alexander as "the tomcat", referencing a moniker given to him by Martha Washington as a result of his promiscuous nature. Mulligan states that he is "newly not poor", as he has married into the wealthy Schuyler family. Their drunken festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Aaron Burr, who had recently been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Hamilton expresses envy at Burr's command, and Burr congratulates Hamilton on his nuptials, and Laurens inquires as to Burr's own romantic status. Hamilton dismisses his friends, Burr reveals that he is unlawfully consorting with the wife of a British officer. Hamilton asks Burr why he is so hesitant, a question that leads Burr to reveal his world-view and philosophy in the next song, "Wait for It".

A second reprise of "The Story of Tonight", titled "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us: Laurens' Interlude " ("The Laurens Interlude" in the Off-Broadway version), occurs in the show towards the end of Act One. Hamilton is working at home when his wife Eliza informs him that he has received a letter from South Carolina. Hamilton puts off reading the letter, believing it to be from John Laurens. However, Eliza reveals that the letter is actually from Laurens' father. At Hamilton's request, she reads the letter aloud, delivering the news of Laurens' death in the Battle of the Combahee River, and all the black soldiers that were with him had either been killed or captured and returned to their owners. This battle had occurred because the British troops in the southern territories had not yet received word that the war had ended, meaning that Laurens had died for no reason. Laurens' father laments that his son's dream of freedom for his people as well as his plans for the first "black battalion" have died with him. Hamilton suppresses his emotional reaction to the news, saying only that he has "so much work to do." Laurens also cuts in every now and then by singing lines from "The Story of Tonight," possibly hinting that he held onto those beliefs even as he died.

The song was not included on the original Broadway cast recording. Miranda explained that it was "more of a scene than a song, the only scene in the [sung-through] show", and he wanted to reserve the impact of "at least one revelation" that could be experienced more fully onstage.[1]