Mike Pence attended the Tony-winning Broadway musical Hamilton on Friday night, and based on the reaction from the cast and the crowd, the vice president-elect was about as popular as King George.
Aaron Burr actor Brandon Victor Dixon read a statement to Pence during the curtain call. “We have a message for you, sir. We hope that you will hear us out,” he said. “Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical. We really do. We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us, all of us. … We truly thank you for sharing this show — this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men, women, of different colors, creeds, and orientations.”
The statement followed a raucous performance during which the performers had to pause repeatedly for standing ovations after delivering pointed lines.
The politically charged atmosphere began to build earlier in the evening. When Pence took his seat at New York City’s Richard Rodgers Theatre earlier in the evening, he was met with a chorus of boos, peppered with some applause.
The audience members weren’t the only ones reacting to Pence’s presence. King George III, played by Rory O’Malley, reportedly sang portions of “What Comes Next?” directly at Pence and had to pause the song for a standing ovation after he sang the words, “When your people say they hate you.”
The audience also erupted in applause during “Yorktown,” in which Javier Munoz’s Alexander Hamilton and Seth Stewart’s Marquis de Lafayette sang, “Immigrants: We get the job done.”
Pence’s running mate, President-elect Donald Trump, promised during his campaign to implement extreme anti-immigration policies, including building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and banning Muslim people from entering the country.
And Pence, the outgoing governor of Indiana, has pushed for anti-LGBT policies, including advocating to divert funding away from HIV/AIDS treatment programs to groups that provide conversion therapy — a practice that has been widely condemned by medical and mental health experts as harmful. He also signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which initially allowed businesses to deny services to gay and lesbian customers before it was later amended.
The Hamilton cast is famously diverse by design. “Hamilton is a story very deliberately told to reflect what America looks like right now. We have every color represented,” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda said earlier this year. And current Hamilton star Javier Munoz is an openly gay man who has lived with HIV since 2002. Miranda and the production have been outspoken during the election, holding voter registration drives and participating in Democratic fundraisers.
See a collection of tweets from Friday night’s performance below.
Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/dkipke12/status/799802254794571777
Unreal scene here – Mike Pence walks in and there's a massive mix of cheers and boos. pic.twitter.com/GVZ5L67mA3
— Noah Coslov (@NoahCoslov) November 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/AlexBoniello/status/799806069912510465
Reminder that the current star of Hamilton is the incomparable Javier Muñoz, an openly gay, openly HIV-positive actor. Pay attention, Pence.
— Marc (@MarcSnetiker) November 19, 2016
Two things you need to understand about Mike Pence getting booed at Hamilton tonight. 1) Most attendees aren't NYCers. 2) He deserves it. >
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) November 19, 2016
mike pence saw hamilton tonight, he doesn't deserve tickets, he doesn't deserve to hear the music, he doesn't deserve anything that good
— tyler oakley // schedule pinned (@tyleroakley) November 19, 2016
pence says gays should be electrocuted until they're straight, don't tell me he deserves hamilton tickets, i'm glad the crowd boo'ed him
— tyler oakley // schedule pinned (@tyleroakley) November 19, 2016
Lafayette: "Immigrants!"
Hamilton/Lafayette: "We get the job done!"
Pence: *shifts uncomfortably in his seat*— tyler oakley // schedule pinned (@tyleroakley) November 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/799801294269640709
I'm at #Hamilton and so is Mike Pence. Crowd booed him like crazy, and gave a standing O at the line "immigrants we get the job done" 1/2
— Christy Colburn (@christy_colburn) November 19, 2016
2/2 Crowd went NUTS at King George's lines "when people say they hate you" & "do you know how hard it is to lead?" He had to stop the song.
— Christy Colburn (@christy_colburn) November 19, 2016
Glad to be at @HamiltonMusical as Mike Pence squirms when we chant in unison "Immigrants, we get the job done!"
— Phillip Atiba Goff (@DrPhilGoff) November 19, 2016
There was a full 3 minute standing ovation @HamiltonMusical when the King sang "On Your Own" directly at Mike Pence. This is catharsis.
— Phillip Atiba Goff (@DrPhilGoff) November 19, 2016
Pence getting booed at Hamilton bums me out. Whatever you think of him. He’s trying to engage. Could get ideas from far worse places. https://t.co/gn7j25Nuy7
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 19, 2016
Spontaneously booing a hateful politician is the most American thing imaginable. It shows a "level of respect" for the Constitution. https://t.co/G3sDxLhVq4
— Jody Rosen (@jodyrosen) November 19, 2016
Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
This article was originally published on Entertainment Weekly.
