What actually happened at #Hamilton the Musical when Mike Pence showed up?

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#HamiltonAs I’m sure you are now aware, Mike Pence went to see the popular hit Musical #Hamilton that is based upon the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

There are various claims that the behaviour of the cast was “rude” towards Mr Pence, hence the president elect has demanded an apology. So what really happened? Let’s take a look.

Upon arrival Mr Pence does get booed by the audience, but that is not the entire story …

https://twitter.com/dkipke12/status/799802254794571777

Clearly some boo and some cheer, and so it would be equally valid to claim that Mr Pence was cheered as he took his seat.

Later at the end of the play during curtain call, the cast reached out and sent him a message.

Here is what was said …

During the final curtain call Brandon Dixon (who plays Aaron Burr) began to read a polite and respectful statement that he addressed directly to Mike Pence in the audience that night.

He was not abusive, but instead boldly expressed a deeply felt fear and concern that many now feel.

He started with …

“I encourage everyone to pull out their phones and tweet and post, because this message needs to be spread far and wide.”

… hence you get to see it yourself, so you can click and watch the clip embedded within the @HamiltonMusical tweet above.

While some media stories ran with a claim that Mike Pence was booed by the audience, the real story is not that. Instead it is the courage of the cast to take a bold stance and to reach out directly to him from the stage. Here is the precise text of what was said …

“Vice President Elect Pence, welcome.

Thank you for joining us at Hamilton-An American Musical.

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.

We hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of ALL of us.

Thank you.”

Criticism

Some have been criticising even this and suggesting that it was inappropriate for the audience to boo him or for the cast to make such a speech.

For example, New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff tweeted …

Er no … seriously no. There is something that is far far worse than a wholly valid concern being called out at a play, for example almost every single thing that Mike Pence stands for.

Since Mr Pence likes plays, do you think we will be able to get him to go see the Book of Mormon?

Probably not.

Other Tweets

https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/799835146581065729

Did Pence hear the message?

He was apparently leaving the theatre at the time, so you might wonder if he heard what was said.

The good news is that yes he did indeed …

Pence reportedly left the auditorium before Dixon finished speaking, but a show spokesman told the Associated Press that the vice president-elect stood in the hallway and heard the full message.

Donald Is offended

Apparently Donald needs a safe space …

OK, so the guy who mocked a disabled reporter and called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman,” the guy who called women “pigs,” etc. etc. etc., is now worried about people being “rude” …. seriously?

You might also want to pop back above and check out what was actually said. Take note that none of it was “rude”, not one word, and so Dishonest Don is still playing the game of claiming fiction as fact.

Was this just Brandon?

Was it just a message from Brandon Dixon?

Nope, Brandon explained things later as follows  …

“When we first got the call that he was coming, there was certainly a question of what we would do,” Dixon told Broadway.com after the performance. “These are the opportunities that you die for.”

According to Dixon, the cast hopped on the phone with Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller 30 minutes to curtain when it was announced that Pence would be attending the performance.

“I saw him enjoying it with whoever he was with, and I hope he remembers us. I truly believe we had an affect,” continued Dixon. “It was a message from the producers the creative and the cast. If you have differences, say something! What better place than on this stage telling this story with these people? I hope he thinks of us every time he has to deal with an issue or talk about a bill or present anything.”

All those complaining that what the cast of Hamilton did need to seriously pause to consider this new reality myth-information. Donald and team simply do not get to set the house on fire and then start to complain about the heat.

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