Trump says 'Hamilton' cast 'rude' to Pence, 'harrased' him, wants apology
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President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday said the cast of the hit Broadway show “Hamilton” was “rude” to White House teammate Mike Pence and that he deserves an apology for being “harassed.”
“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!” Trump tweeted.
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
“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!” he tweeted minutes later.
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Pence, the vice presidential elect and a Republican, was also booed as he attended the show Friday night in New York.
The cast had a message for Pence after the show as he was walking out, saying, “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.”
Some audience members took to Twitter to report that the show was paused several times as the crowd booed Pence at certain lines of the show.
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Cast member Brandon Dixon delivered the statement on behalf of the cast, encouraging the audience to tweet and record the message.
Dixon added, “We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us."
Dixon continued to say the show was “told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientations."
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The remarks were met with cheers from the audience in response.
Dixon's curtain-call speech ended with a plea to donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The atmosphere at the show was tense from the time the vice president-elect arrived at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, triggering both cheers and boos as he slipped into row F in the prime orchestra seats.
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Outside, many protesters jeered, including one woman who held up a sign with a line from the musical that always gets a cheer"Immigrants, we get the job done."
"Hamilton," which won 11 Tony Awards, has been praised by politicians and rap stars alike, influenced the debate over the nation's currency and burst through the Broadway bubble like none other.
The first family has been big boosters of the show. President Obama took daughters Sasha and Malia to see it last year after first lady Michelle Obama caught it last spring.
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The show is by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the musical's book, music and lyrics. It stresses the orphan, immigrant roots of Hamilton and has a terrifically varied score, ranging from pop ballads to gospel to sexy R&B. It has been cheered for reclaiming the nation's founding story by a multicultural cast.
The Alexander Hamilton that Pence saw was Javier Munoz, an openly gay actor. Pence supported numerous efforts to ban gay marriage as governor of Indiana and opposed unfettered federal funding for HIV and AIDS treatment.
After Pence left, Jeffrey Seller, the show's lead producer, said he hopes the politician would share the show's message of empathy: "I hope that maybe it inspires him to feel for those not like him."
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Seller, a Tony Award winner who has produced such shows as "Rent" and "Avenue Q," said such notable Republicans as former Vice President Dick Cheney and presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan have come to "Hamilton."
"This show is absolutely for Republicans as well as Democrats, and we would like to host any Republican who would like to see the show," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.