‘Hamilton’ vs Donald Trump-Mike Pence: A Timeline

Cast of Tony Award-winning Broadway show called out the VP-elect after Friday’s show — see what has transpired since

Trump Pence Hamilton
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“Hamilton” was at the top of the news cycle this weekend after the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical called out Vice President-elect Mike Pence while he was seated in the audience on Friday night.

Stage performer Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr in the show, read a statement from the cast on Friday that urged Pence (who attended the show with his daughter and her cousins) to consider those “who are alarmed and anxious” over President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration.

Since then, Trump has demanded an apology from the cast, while musician Stevie Van Zandt said they full-on bullied Pence.

See the timeline of the “Hamilton” vs. Trump/Pence saga below.

Nov. 18: Cast Singles Out Pence in Audience

The cast of “Hamilton” singled out Pence during its curtain call, and as the audience booed, Dixon read a statement on behalf of his cast members — and many Americans.

“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,” he said, after urging audience members to record and share the video and message on social media. “But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us.”

Show creator and former star Lin-Manuel Miranda was not in attendance, but he, director Tommy Kail, the show’s producers and cast all wrote the statement together after learning Pence would be attending the performance. That’s according to New York Times reporter Patrick Healey, who also said the VP-to-be was walking out of the theater as Dixon began reading the statement, so it’s unclear which parts, if any, he heard.

Nov. 19: Donald Trump Demands Apology

“The Theater must always be a safe and special place,” the president-elect tweeted on Saturday morning. “The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/799974635274194947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Nov. 19: Trump Supporter Interrupts Performance

A Trump supporter heckled the cast at a Saturday evening performance of “Hamilton” in Chicago.

According to BroadwayWorld, he was seated in the balcony when he shouted, “We won! You lost! Get over it! F– you!” during the number “Dear Theodosia.”

The website also reported that the disturbance began after the audience member became enraged by the line, “immigrants, we get the job done.”

Nov. 19: Stevie Van Zandt Calls Incident “Bullying”

On Saturday, Little Steven tweeted, “Hamilton made a mistake. Audiences shouldn’t have to worry about being blindsided like that. Theater should be sanctuary for Art to speak.” The tweet touched off a firestorm of replies to which Van Zandt was apparently more than happy (read: annoyed) to reply throughout Sunday.

“It was the most respectful, benign form of bullying ever, but bullying nonetheless,” he tweeted. “And by the way, human rights must be won, not asked for.”

He concluded his own “Hamilton” saga on Monday by posting on Twitter, “Everybody should see Hamilton the greatest musical I’ve ever seen. Broadway should be a welcoming, safe place for EVERYBODY.”

Nov. 20: Mike Pence Says He Wasn’t Offended by “Hamilton” Speech

Pence spoke up about the incident on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, and told host John Dickerson that he “wasn’t offended by what was said” at the “Hamilton” performance in New York on Friday.

“People are feeling anxious about this time in the life of our nation,” said Pence. “I just want to reassure anyone, including the actor who spoke that night, that President-elect Donald Trump is going to be president of all the people and I couldn’t be more honored to stand with him.”

Nov. 20: Bruce Springsteen Mocks Mike Pence During “Hamilton” Performance

When Bruce Springsteen attended a performance of the production on Sunday, he shared a photo of himself and his wife in front of a sign promoting the show.

He linked to an Instagram post his wife Patti Scialfa posted where she wrote, “raise a glass to freedom.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNC0AlwBGGy/

Nov. 21: Dixon Says ‘There’s Nothing to Apologize For”

Actor Brandon Victor Dixon made it clear that Trump shouldn’t expect an apology for addressing Pence in the audience the way he did on Friday. “There’s nothing to apologize for,” the Aaron Burr actor said on “CBS This Morning” Monday.

After explaining that the show’s producers asked him to read the statement, Dixon said, “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.”

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