The cast of the hit musical Hamilton is used to seeing celebrities in the audience, but politicians -- especially ones as polarizing as vice president-elect Mike Pence -- are more rare.
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But Pence was indeed at Friday night's show in New York, with Secret Service in tow. Walking into the Richard Rodgers Theatre to boos and cheers, Pence waved to the crowd before sitting down. Many lines of the show, which focuses on founding father Alexander Hamilton and stars gay actors Javier Munoz (Hamilton) and Rory O'Malley (King George),seemed to directly address Pence, according to Billboard.
"George Washington's line 'Winning is easy, young man, governing's harder' got notable applause," the magazine reports.
At the end of the show, actor Brandon Victor Dixon (Aaron Burr) directly addressed Pence:
"Vice president-elect, I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us," said Dixon. "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. This wonderful show is an American story told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds, and orientations." Watch his full speech below.
Before joining Donald Trump's ticket, Indiana governor Mike Pence became known as one of the most anti-LGBT politicians in the nation. He vehemently opposes marriage equality, supports "conversion" therapy, and signed a "religious discrimination" bill that allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBT people; the legislation was tempered after a national outcry and costly boycotts.
