Mike Pence Jeered at 'Hamilton,' Flees as Cast Delivers 'Anxious' Message to Vice President-Elect

NEW YORK — The musical "Hamilton," one of the hottest tickets in town, tells a story of revolution, courage, and ideals, and the creation of a new nation. It's an all-American story, and for Mike Pence, now vice president-elect following yet another presidential election made possible by our founding fathers, "Hamilton" probably seemed a most apt performance to take in Friday night.

But the evening turned sour quickly for Pence as he was booed and jeered entering the Richard Rodgers Theater in Manhattan. The discomfort didn't end when the lights went down and the curtain came up, either, as the cast of "Hamilton" delivered a message to the vice president-elect.

The actor who portrays King George III sang directly to Pence and his entourage.

“Oceans rise / Empires fall / It’s much harder when it’s your call / All alone, across the sea / When your people say they hate you / Don’t come crawling back to me,” sang Rory O'Malley, co-founder of the gay rights activism group Broadway Impact and a Cleveland native.

Upon the musical's conclusion, Pence headed for the exit — but the cast assembled on stage and delivered a message to the fleeing politician.

“Thank you for joining us at 'Hamilton: An American Musical.' We, sir, 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,” proclaimed actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who portrays Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton's rival. “We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. All of us.

"This is one American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”

A video was posted to the @HamiltonMusical Twitter account.

The music — rap and hip-hop — and the multicultural cast underscore the depth and breadth of the ever-evolving American story as they relate the tale of Hamilton and his revolutionary compatriots, white men all, rebellious immigrants, as they come together to forge a new nation.

A standing ovation greeted the line "immigrants we get the job done," tweeted an audience member, Christy Colburn of Somerville, Massachusetts, Friday night.

Restricting immigration was a central theme of Trump's campaign.

Pence, the conservative governor of Indiana, joined Donald Trump on the Republican presidential ticket and scored a stunning upset victory over Hillary Clinton just two weeks ago. Their chapter of the nation's story, however, has millions of people worried that American ideals are at risk, that bigotry and intolerance will be the coin of the new realm in Trump's White House.

In 2015, Pence signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Indiana, which permitted businesses to deny services to homosexuals based on religious preferences. A year later, after backlash from business interests, he signed an amendment that afforded protection against discrimination to gay citizens.

Pence is overseeing the transition for the incoming Trump administration. It's also widely expected that Pence will wield more authority in the Trump administration than many previous vice presidents.

This week, Trump announced Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions would be his choice for U.S. attorney general. Sessions has been criticized as a racist, and his conduct as a U.S. attorney and state attorney general in Alabama led a Republican-controlled Senate to deny him a federal judicial appointment in the 1980s. Alongside Pence, one of Trump's key White House advisers will be Steve Bannon, a white nationalist who has been named chief of strategy.

Trump took to Twitter Saturday to express what he thought about the VP-elect's experience on Broadway.

Dixon responded to Trump, saying conversation is not harassment and said he appreciated that Pence stopped to listen.

In a second tweet (that was not in response to Dixon) Trump said the cast of Hamilton should apologize to Pence.

Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally who will not be taking a position in the new administration, also spoke about Pence's experience at the musical in a series of tweets.

The American Civil Liberties Union weighed in on Trump's tweet, saying Americans don't need to apologize for exercising their constitutional rights.

After the show, Dixon spoke to Broadway.com about Pence.

"I saw him enjoying it with whoever he was with, and I hope he remembers us. I truly believe we had an effect," Dixon said in the exclusive interview. "It was a message from the producers the creative 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."

The statement to Pence was composed prior to the show when the director, Thomas Kail, and producer, Jeffrey Seller, learned the vice president-elect would attend, according to a New York Times report. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of "Hamilton," helped pen the remarks, with contributions from cast members.

Pence reportedly stopped in the hall and listened to the full remarks before departing the theater.

The crowd cheered their message with enthusiasm.

Perhaps even Hamilton himself would applaud their call for "American values," for it was he who famously said, "There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism."

While there might have been hostility from politicians about Pence's treatment at the show, the statement made by the cast of the musical received a largely positive response.

photo via @HamiltonMusical Twitter account