Michael Riedel

Michael Riedel

Theater

Backstage duel at ‘Hamilton’ — to Broadway now or later?

It’s pistols at dawn in Weehawken for the producers, investors and the creative team behind “Hamilton,” the rap musical about Alexander Hamilton everyone’s buzzing about down at the Public.

The feud concerns when to move to Broadway, and how to divide up what everybody thinks will be a rich pie of profits.

I have my doubts about that pie. I think it’ll be more Sara Lee than the Little Pie Company. But more on that later.

First, the move.

Sources say Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer, wants to open at the Richard Rodgers before the April 23 Tony Award cut-off. He wants to capitalize on the momentum he thinks will propel the show to a Tony sweep in June.

But the creative team, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, want more time to work on the show. The reviews were strong, but the more astute critics pointed out the show could easily lose 20 minutes.

The creators don’t want to rush to Broadway with a flawed show.

I side with Seller on this one. Waiting to open next season would be foolish. “Hamilton” is by no means perfect (overrated, if you ask me), but the hype is real. Scalpers are getting $1,000 a ticket.

And the field of new musicals this season is anemic. Who knows what next season will bring? A year from now, we might be buzzing about some new and exciting show, and “Hamilton” will be old news.

“Hamilton” cast members, from left, Carleigh Bettiol, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Anthony Ramos.Joan Marcus

On the money front, I hear there’s tension between Seller and his partners, Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman. Jacobs and Furman put up a chunk of the money for the Public run, and they believe that entitles them to a fat piece of the Broadway pie.

But Seller, sources say, doesn’t want to give them as much as they want.

Jacobs backed Seller on “The Last Ship,” which lost $15 million. He could recover his losses with “Hamilton” — if he gets a big stake.

“Sandy is very upset,” says a friend. “He backed Jeffrey in good times and bad. He’s a gentleman. He won’t talk about this in the press. But it’s not fair.”

Nobody on “Hamilton” is saying anything on the record for the time being.

And now about that pie.

Seller has told colleagues he thinks “Hamilton” could run 10 years.

I don’t believe it. The elite will flock to it because it’s a hot ticket. But will tourists, who make up more than 50 percent of the Broadway audience?

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Grand Rapids! Wanna see a three-hour rap musical about an author of The Federalist Papers?”

“Um. Do you have anything available tonight for ‘Aladdin’?”