Donald Trump and the cast of Broadway’s Hamilton musical have traded barbs after VP-elect Mike Pence mate was booed at a performance of the show.
The president-elect demanded an apology over a letter read out by a cast member to Mike Pence on November 18. It said “diverse America” was “alarmed and anxious” at the future administration.
Donald Trump tweeted that the cast had been “very rude” and harassed Mike Pence.
The cast member replied by denying that the “conversation” had been hostile.
Mike Pence was jeered by members of the audience before and during a performance in New York. Afterwards cast member Brandon Victor Dixon thanked Mike Pence for attending and read a letter to him on stage.
Image source hamiltonbroadway.com
“We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us,” the letter read.
On November 19, Donald Trump tweeted: “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!”
“The theater must always be a safe and special place. The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!”
Brandon Dixon responded on Twitter by defending his cast mates: “@realDonaldTrump conversation is not harassment sir,” he wrote. “And I appreciate @mike_pence for stopping to listen.”
Some Trump supporters called for people to boycott Hamilton musical, using the Twitter hashtag #boycotthamilton. They were mocked in turn by other Twitter users, who pointed out the futility of attempting to boycott a show for which it is nearly impossible to get tickets.
Some sarcastically urged others to support the ban in the hope it would free up seats.
A staunch conservative, Mike Pence sparked an outcry as governor of Indiana earlier this year, when he signed a law critics said discriminated against the LGBT community by allowing businesses to refuse service over religious beliefs. He later amended the bill.
Mike Pence is not the first high-profile politician to attend the hugely popular Hamilton, which tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton.
President Barack Obama saw the musical last year and joined the cast backstage after the performance.
Hillary Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump in last week’s election, also saw the show. She was supported by Hamilton‘s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, during her campaign.
Kyle Jean-Baptiste, the first African-American and youngest person ever to play the lead role in Les Miserables on Broadway, has died in a fall, a show spokesman has said.
Kyle Jean-Baptiste, 21, fell from a fire escape after Friday evening’s performance at the Imperial Theatre, said representative Marc Thibodeau.
The actor made history performing the role of ex-convict Jean Valjean in the musical.
A statement described him as a remarkable young talent.
Photo Twitter
The notice placed on Facebook said: “The entire Les Miserables family is shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic — and history — in his Broadway debut. We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably difficult time.”
In May, Kyle Jean-Baptiste announced on Twitter he would be joining Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Miserables as Courfeyrac and understudying Jean Valjean. He first went on stage in that role on July 23.
Kyle Jean-Baptiste told Playbill magazine: “This was my dream since I was a little boy.”
His last performance in the role was on August 27.
The circumstances of Kyle Jean-Baptiste’s death are unclear. Some reports have said he was at his mother’s home at the time.
Broadway legend Marian Seldes has died in New York at the age of 86 following a lengthy illness.
Marian Seldes was best known for appearing in every performance of Deathtrap during its four-year run, setting a Guinness World Record.
She made her stage debut in 1947 aged 17 in a production of Medea and won a Tony Award in 1967 for her performance in A Delicate Balance.
In 2010, Marian Seldes was awarded an honorary Tony for her lifetime’s work.
The actress garnered a total of five nominations for Broadway’s leading theatre awards during her long career.
Marian Seldes was best known for appearing in every performance of Deathtrap during its four-year run, setting a Guinness World Record (photo IMDb)
Marian Seldes was also inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1995, but missed the ceremony because she was on tour.
She was a muse to playwright Edward Albee, the writer of A Delicate Balance, and became a regular fixture in his subsequent work, including The Play About The Baby and Three Tall Women, which won a Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Her record-breaking run in Deathtrap cemented her place in Broadway history, gracing the stage for 1,809 performances between 1978 and 1982 without taking any holiday or sick leave.
However, her achievement has since been broken by actress Catherine Russell, who was in more than 11,000 performances of a New York theatre production of Perfect Crime.
Marian Seldes also enjoyed some success as a screen actress, with roles in TV series Nurse Jackie, Frasier, and others.
Broadway’s lights were dimmed on August 13 in memory of Robin Williams following the actor’s death earlier this week.
Charlotte St Martin of New York’s Broadway League called Robin Williams “a comedic genius with limitless talent” who had “left this world far too early”.
Robin Williams, who took his own life at the age of 63, will also be remembered at the Primetime Emmy Awards on August 25.
Plans are under way for a “proper and meaningful remembrance”, said executive producer Don Mischer.
Broadway’s lights were dimmed on August 13 in memory of Robin Williams (photo US TV)
Robin Williams made an appearance at last year’s ceremony during an In Memoriam segment to his comic mentor, Jonathan Winters.
Simon Pegg has become the latest celebrity to pay tribute to Robin Williams, who will be heard voicing a dog in Pegg’s upcoming comedy Absolutely Anything.
Robin Williams, said Simon Pegg at the premiere of his new movie Hector and the Search for Happiness, was “an extraordinary man and performer” who had “absolutely” been one of his comedy heroes.
Sinead O’Connor also paid tribute to Robin Williams by dedicating a concert in London to him on Tuesday.
The Irish performer went on to say “the choice that Robin made” was “a very bad idea” and urged anyone “contemplating that choice” to reconsider.
Robin Williams, a dedicated fan of computer games, is also to be memorialized by Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind the popular World of Warcraft series.
“You gave us so much joy in our lives and we hope you enjoyed your time in our world,” its makers tweeted.
“We’ll see you in-game.”
The cast of Broadway show Aladdin also paid tribute to Robin Williams with an impromptu curtain call sing-along of Friend Like Me.
Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, featuring songs by late rapper Tupac Shakur, is to close after less than two months.
The curtains will fall for the final time on Sunday at the Palace Theatre after just 38 performances.
Producer Eric L. Gold cited “the financial burdens of Broadway” as the reason.
The jukebox show features Tupac Shakur’s hits but does not tell the story of the rapper, who died after being shot in 1996 aged 25.
Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me features songs by late rapper Tupac Shakur
Last week, it managed to pull in only $155,000 from a possible $917,000, which is less than 17%.
Directed by Kenny Leon, who won a Tony Award for his recent revival of A Raisin In the Sun, Holler If Ya Hear Me is billed as a non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope.
The musical received mixed reviews from critics.
Variety called it a “generic gangland saga” that was “predictable” with “clumsy characterizations”, although praised its “soaring performances”.
Featuring Tupac Shakur tracks such as California Love, Me Against the World and Keep Ya Head Up, the musical is the first time hip hop classics have been performed on the Broadway stage.
Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, is a producer of the show.
Rapper Tupac Shakur died following a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, thought to be the result of gangland conflict.
Disney executives revealed that a Broadway musical based on highly-popular animated movie Frozen is in the works.
Frozen, which stars Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, has grossed $669 million at the worldwide box office and now movie bosses are hoping to capitalize on the surprise success of the film with a Broadway show.
A Broadway musical based on highly-popular animated movie Frozen is in the works
Disney CEO Bob Iger told Fortune.com: “This is for something bigger and longer … We’re not demanding speed. We’re demanding excellence.”
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