The cast of Hamilton had some mature words to say to Mike Pence after the vice-president-elect came to see their lauded show, which celebrates the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton through a diverse cast paired with hip-hop inspired ditties.
President-elect Donald Trump demanded that the cast give Pence an apology for their “rude” attack and “harassment” of his running mate after catching wind of the lecture. Trump supporters have also picketed outside of the Richard Rodgers Theatre and interrupted performances with profanities in an effort to boycott the show.
However, Brandon Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr in the musical and delivered the speech to Pence, said that there is nothing to apologize for. The actor spoke with CBS This Morning on Monday (Nov. 21), and addressed the response to the message.
“The producers, the creatives and the cast, we recognize that Hamilton is inherently an American story told by the definition of the American community,” he explained. “We are men and women of different colors, creeds, and orientations, and the resonate nature of the show throughout the world, throughout the global community, demands that we make statements when there are important issues facing us as a community. So we wanted to stand up and spread a message of love, and of unity.”
He also said that “conversation is not harassment,” and that he was appreciative of Mr. Pence for listening to what he had to say. On Fox News Sunday, Pence said that he was not offended by the comments made by the cast at all.
Dixon explained that the play’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, producer Jeffrey Seller and director Thomas Kail crafted the message, as they learned about an hour before curtain that Mr. Pence would be in attendance. He also said that he was happy to relay the message to Pence, and that the “most important thing in respect to all the emotions everyone is feeling after this election is to make sure that people recognize that we are not alone. We are here together.”
Check out the full interview with Dixon below.
