A tizzy was caused when Vice-President Elect Mike Pence decided to attend a performance of the hit Broadway show Hamilton. His arrival was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers, the latter indicating that the audience must have had a significant number of non-New Yorkers in it.
At the end of the play, the actor portraying Aaron Burr -- you know, the bad guy who shot and killed the title character -- addressed Pence, saying that many marginalized and minority folk believe the administration of which he is a part will not pay attention to them and their rights as Americans. Hamilton, of course, features minority actors portraying the primarily white European Founding Fathers. He finished by saying, "We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us." Pence was leaving as the statement began but remained in the hallway long enough to hear it all.
President-Elect Donald Trump predictably overreacted via Twitter, demanding an apology. The actor, Tony Award-winning Brandon Victor Dixon, fired back on Twitter and said he appreciated Pence's willingness to stay and hear everything he said. Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda said via Twitter that he was proud of the cast for taking their stand. No grown-up communication methods were harmed -- or used -- in this exchange.
Although I think it's a little unfair for an actor on stage to call out an audience member unless there's a cell phone involved -- remember, the actor has a microphone and stage lights while the audience member doesn't -- this strikes me as kind of a big ol' nothing, except for being a clear sign someone needs to stop Trump from tweeting or else we're going to have to put up with this crap for the next four years.
And as a friend said, this is hardly the worst thing to have happened to a Republican at a play.
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