ABC News/ State of Indiana(NEW YORK) — A star and the creator of the blockbuster musical ‘Hamilton’ responded to President-elect Trump’s call for the cast of the show to apologize because, as Trump put it, “V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater.”
Actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Vice President Aaron Burr in the musical and who took to the stage to acknowledge Pence’s presence in the audience Friday night and address him on behalf of the cast after the show ended, tweeted a response today to Trump’s claim that the vice president-elect was harassed.
@realDonaldTrump conversation is not harassment sir. And I appreciate @mike_pence for stopping to listen.
— Brandon Victor Dixon (@BrandonVDixon) November 19, 2016
‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda also tweeted to express his support of Dixon and the cast.
Proud of @HamiltonMusical. Proud of @BrandonVDixon, for leading with love.
And proud to remind you that ALL are welcome at the theater.— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 19, 2016
Both Miranda and Dixon were responding to earlier tweets by Trump.
“The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence,” the president-elect posted on Twitter Saturday morning.
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
Trump’s tweets came after Pence on Friday night was met with a mix of boos and cheers as he entered the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City to attend the evening performance of Hamilton,” according to video from the performance.
At the end of the performance, Dixon took to the stage and said to Pence, “We hope you will hear us out.”
Pence was on his way out of the auditorium, as Dixon spoke. But a rep for “Hamilton” said that Pence stood in the hallway outside and heard the full remarks.
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
“I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us,” Dixon said. “Nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen, there’s nothing to boo here … We’re all sharing a story of love. We welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’ — we really do.
Dixon continued, “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 work on behalf of all of us.”
The actor concluded, “We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds, and orientations.”Pence attended the show with his daughter, Charlotte, as well as his nieces and nephew, according to one of his aides. They were seated in the center orchestra section.
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
During the musical — which is about the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton — audience members applauded when cast members spoke about the U.S. being a country of immigrants and how difficult it was to govern.
When Pence left the theater, he was also greeted by several protesters, including one woman who held up a sign with a line from the musical: “Immigrants, we get the job done.”
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