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Mike Rowe Says ‘Hamilton’ Cast Should Apologize For Lecturing At Mike Pence

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‘Hamilton is already a love letter to diversity. . . But the cast – speaking out as they did – failed to make the play more persuasive; they simply made it more personal.’

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Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” fame said “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda should demand an apology from his cast after they chastised Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was in the audience Friday night.

Many were upset by their harsh words and demanded that the “Hamilton” cast apologize to Pence — including the President-Elect, Donald Trump, who sent out a series of angry tweets on the matter. But Mike Rowe thinks the one who truly deserves an apology is “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“If I were Lin-Manuel Miranda, I’d be the one demanding an apology. From my cast,” Rowe said on Monday in a Facebook post. He explained the cast’s outburst was “ironic,”  given that theatre is a far more effective outlet to make a point than a political tirade.

“When Shakespeare wrote, ‘The play’s the thing,’ Hamlet was telling us the most effective way for him to make his point was to keep his personal feelings out of the conversation,” he said. “So Shakespeare constructed a play within a play, in which Hamlet was able to achieve his goal. Brilliant. And that’s precisely what’s so ironic about Friday’s outburst.”

Rowe said the cast’s decision to critique Pence turned the play, which packs a powerful message for diversity, into a polemic.

Hamilton is already a love letter to diversity. It’s a very persuasive homage to inclusiveness, individuality, and many other things that make America a place worth immigrating to. The play delivers that message to everyone – including people who may have voted for Trump and Pence. But the cast – speaking out as they did – failed to make the play more persuasive; they simply made it more personal. More partisan. Smaller. The cast forgot that the play is the thing! By sharing their personal feelings with paying customers, they turned a play into a polemic. And polemics are the most unpersuasive things of all.