Hamilton is already the revolutionary hit heard round the world, but at the evening performance on November 18, history truly had its eyes on this cast. Or perhaps it's better to say the cast had its eyes on a certain someone filling one of the Richard Rodgers Theatre's velvety red seats.
Vice President Elect Mike Pence joined the ranks of celebrities, politicians, star athletes and Hamil-fans to attend Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning musical, and his presence did not go unnoticed. According to social media reports, Pence was greeted with boos from audience members upon his arrival and the rousing performance featured a standing ovation after the oft-quoted lyric "Immigrants--we get the job done."
Star Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, addressed the elephant in the room with a curtain call speech that quickly circulated on social media: "Thank you for joining us at Hamilton. 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. We hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of ALL of us. Thank you."
Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016
"When we first got the call that he was coming, there was certainly a question of what we would do," Dixon told Broadway.com after the performance. "These are the opportunities that you die for."
According to Dixon, the cast hopped on the phone with Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller 30 minutes before curtain when it was announced that Pence would be attending the performance.
"I saw him enjoying it with whoever he was with, and I hope he remembers us. I truly believe we had an affect," continued Dixon. "It was a message from the producers the creatives and the cast. If you have differences, say something! What better place than on this stage telling this story with these people? I hope he thinks of us every time he has to deal with an issue or talk about a bill or present anything."