The team behind Tony Award-winning theatre production Hamilton has criticised a version of the show performed in a Texas church this weekend, saying it shouldn’t have happened.
The Door, a church in McAllen, South Texas performed the play with edited content that included lyrical references to Jesus and Christianity.
Following the performance, a sermon was delivered to the audience that compared homosexuality to drug addiction.
Footage of the performance shared on social media shows The Door pastor Victor Lopez addressing the audience on stage with Hamilton sets behind him.
“Maybe you struggle with alcohol, with drugs, homosexuality. Maybe you struggle with other things in life, your finances, whatever, relationships — God can help you tonight,” Lopez said.
Shane Marshall Brown, a spokesperson for Hamilton, responded to the performance: “Hamilton does not grant amateur or professional licenses for any stage productions and did not grant one to The Door Church.”
Hamilton officials also said they were unaware of the changes made to the show and the sermon at the end.
Officials behind the musical were unaware of the unauthorised staging until the day after the church’s first two scheduled performances and sent a cease-and-desist letter once they were made aware.
Lin-Minuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, is a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and famously used his 2016 Tony Awards acceptance speech to read a poem that addressed the Pulse nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people hours before the award ceremony.
Another spokesperson for Hamilton also said: “The Hamilton family stands for tolerance, compassion, inclusivity and certainly LGBTQ+ rights. We are in the process of reviewing the unauthorised changes made to the script to determine further action.”
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