Culture

The Cast Of ‘Hamilton’ Delivered An Impassioned Plea To Incoming Vice President Mike Pence

Trump's number two was booed heavily during an appearance at the Broadway show.

by Tom Clift  19 November 2016

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As horrible and scary as Donald Trump is, the reality is that his running mate Mike Pence might actually be even worse. On LGBTQI issues, Pence has advocated for gay conversion therapy and said that marriage equality could lead to “societal collapse”. On women’s rights, he’s fought to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and said that he wants to see the precedent-setting Roe v. Wade ruling, which affirms a woman’s right to seek an abortion, “consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.” On immigration, he’s backed Trump’s call for a southern border wall, and attempted to block Syrian refugees from settling in his home state of Indiana.

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But it turns out that when Pence isn’t busy trying to strip away the rights of society’s most vulnerable people, he likes to kick back and relax with a Broadway show. Hence his appearance in the audience during Friday night’s performance of the smash-hit musical Hamilton.

Of course, given that New York City voted overwhelmingly in favour of Hillary Clinton, it should come as no surprise that Pence’s arrival at the theatre was greeted by a heavy chorus of boos – although to be fair, he also received a smattering of applause.

But the big moment came during the curtain call, when the entire cast assembled on stage to deliver a message to Trump’s number two. “Vice President-elect Pence, I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us [for] just a few more moments” said actor Brandon Victor Dixon. “There’s nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen, there’s nothing to boo here. We’re all sharing a story of love,” he added to the audience.

“We have a message for you sir, and we hope that you will hear us out,” Dixon continued. “We welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical — we really do. 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.”

“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.