Vice-president-elect Mike Pence got more than he bargained for at the Broadway musical Hamilton, as the cast delivered a statement citing their concerns that the new administration would not protect the rights of all Americans.
As the cast took their bow at the end of the performance on Friday, actor Brandon Victor Dixon delivered a statement to Pence. “I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us for just a few more moments,” he said, before thanking him for coming. “We have a message for you sir and I hope that you will hear us out.
“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,” Dixon said.
“We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us,” Dixon said to loud applause. “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.
A spokesperson from the show, which details the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers, told the New York Times that Pence stood in the hallway to listen to the statement.
The director, cast, and producer said they had decided to write the statement once they found out that Pence would be attending.
As the vice-president-elect entered the theater, he was met with boos and some cheers.
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to criticize the cast, claiming that Pence had been “harassed,” and called on them to apologize.
Hamilton actor Christopher Jackson responded to Trump’s tweets, calling for the president-elect to apologize himself.
“The countless Americans that have been Insulted, Degraded, Marginalized, Harassed, Intimidated. APOLOGIZE for that! APOLOGIZE for your HATE!” Jackson tweeted.
News of Pence’s Hamilton visit spread across social media, with #MikePence, #Hamilton and #NameAPenceMusical trending on Twitter.
Not everyone agreed with the Hamilton cast’s decision.