WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice president-elect Mike Pence became part of the show Friday when he attended a performance of “Hamilton” in New York and was directly addressed by the cast.
Word spread on social media that Pence was in the house for the hit Broadway show, and during the curtain call, cast member Brandon Dixon, who portrays Aaron Burr, urged Pence to “work on behalf of all of us.”
“Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you and we truly thank you for joining us here at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical.’ We really do,” Dixon said. “We, sir, 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. All of us. Thank you.”
Dixon, who urged the audience not to boo Pence, said the show was performed by “a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”
The crowd loudly cheered and applauded Dixon’s remarks.
President-elect Donald Trump did not give the remarks a good review.
“Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!” Trump tweeted Saturday morning.
Dixon soon replied, “@realDonaldTrump conversation is not harassment sir. And I appreciate @mike_pence for stopping to listen.”
Former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway also weighed in on Twitter, saying Pence deserved “respect and a peaceful night out with his nephew and daughter.”
Pence, who has been in New York to assist with Trump’s transition, was greeted inside the theater earlier in the night by a mixed chorus of applause and boos.
Messages left with Pence representatives were not immediately returned Friday.
Despite Trump’s harsh rebuke of the confrontation, Dixon’s rhetoric was not dissimilar to remarks Trump himself has made in the past about uniting the country.
“I’m asking America to join me in dreaming big and bold, and dream for wonderful things in our future. Let’s close the history books on the failures in Washington and let’s open a new chapter of success and prosperity for all of our people. We have a divided nation, a seriously divided nation. All of our people — that is how we will truly make American great again,” Trump said in Washington last month.
“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is no stranger to politics, having backed Hillary Clinton during this year’s election cycle. In addition to endorsing Clinton, Miranda held a benefit showing of the musical in July, where admission to the show supported the Clinton campaign — some tickets reportedly went for as much as $10,000.
