On Friday night, Mike Pence left his safe space at the Times Square Chili’s and made his way to the Richard Rodgers Theaters for a staging of the Tony Award-winning production Hamilton. Because for a bigoted white man who hates homosexuals, nothing sounds more fun than a hip-hop musical starring a multicultural cast with several openly gay actors.
As to be expected, the Vice President-elect was roundly booed upon entering the theater. And once they raised the curtains, cast members themselves took a few not-so-subtle jabs. Per The Hollywood Reporter:
Rory O’Malley addressed [Pence]’s presence during the number “What Comes Next,” gesturing toward his seat during the line, “You’re all alone.” As King George, he stopped the show with his lines, “it’s harder when it’s your call,” and “when people say they hate you, don’t come crawling back to me.”
Because Pence was in the audience, many lines landed quite differently. George Washington’s line, “Winning is easy, young man, governing’s harder” got notable applause, as did Alexander Hamilton’s jab about then-vice president, “John Adams doesn’t have a real job anyway.” And a big gasp of the night came when Washington hailed Hamilton over at the end of “Cabinet Battle #2,” when Thomas Jefferson notes, “Daddy’s calling,” as audience members found themselves thinking of Pence’s relationship to Donald Trump.
During the curtain call, the cast of Hamilton returned to the stage to address Pence directly. Speaking on behalf of the group, actor Brandon Victor Dixon said, “I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us. 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. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us.”
“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,” he concluded.
