Elitist theatrical performance “Hamilton” finally closes
The theatrical play “Hamilton” has been more about politics than it has about either historical accuracy of even honesty. From the start, it was used as a political weapon against President Donald Trump imposing itself on the American conscience with the biased backing of the mainstream American news media. I never saw it partly because I hate the sickness of entertainment politics but more because the tickets were so expensive, far from the cost attributed to a champion of minority and underclass rights or needs
By Ray Hanania
There were a lot of reason why I didn’t go to see the theatrical performance of “Hamilton,” the politically motivated musical stage play that was often used as a springboard for political anger and hatred directed at President Donald Trump.
I love plays and often enjoy them, although the ones I see usually have more to do with talent than with politics.
Hamilton always bothered me because from the beginning, the performers decided to turn it into a political statement against a sitting president.
Oil on canvas portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Now, I have said in the past and will repeat – because the haters don’t seem to listen or read – that I think Trump has made many mistakes. But, after Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee pulled the rug out from under the candidacy of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016, I decided I wouldn’t vote for Clinton in the November elections.
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I wasn’t the only one outraged by Clinton’s arrogance and her air of entitlement – the feeling that she and only she deserved to be president because it was her destiny and anyone who disagreed with her was somehow flawed, morally bankrupt, or, as she put it so eloquently and typically, “deplorable.”
Only 11 days after Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence shocked Clinton and nearly every mainstream news media pundit by sweeping the Presidential Election on November 8, 2016, Vice President Election Pence attended a performance of Hamilton expecting creative talent but instead received an insulting slap in the political face from one of the show’s star performers.
Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Vice President Aaron Burr singled Pence out in the audience at the end of the performance, and began berating him.
Dixon, a playwright, went on to lecture Pence, a politician and public servant, asserting that Trump and Pence would not “defend” the “inalienable rights” of parents, children and families.
The outburst from Dixon provoked what many thought were orchestrated jeers and chants against Pence, who began walking out of the audience with a courteous and respectful smile.
Dixon, an African American, used the moment to make a point and give the play, Hamilton, a political edge that divided the public. Pro-Trump supporters refused to attend future shows while pro-Clinton supporters went out of their way to promote and attend the performances.
I wasn’t surprised that Dixon played the Revolutionary War American co-founder Aaron Burr who engaged in an illegal duel with political rival Alexander Hamilton, killing Hamilton but never being forced to face the consequences of his role in the murder and illegal duel. Burr was later accused of treason and spent the rest of his life in relative obscurity, until the performance resurrected and scrubbed his rotten image.
The play, Hamilton, was created by actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also performed in the Broadway play and also became an outspoken activist against Trump
The politics surrounding the musical were offensive to me. Hamilton reflected what soon became the deep divided that pushed Americans further and further apart in a muddle of vicious hatred from both sides. Neither side is pure in this era of failed Americanism. Hypocrisy reigned and performers and Hollywood actors quickly took political sides using their popularity and stage and screen talents to try to sway the public’s political views.
None of today’s debate has anything to do with facts, reality of even caring about America. It’s all about selfish politics, rather disgraceful.
Personally, I am hoping that New York’s former Mayor Michael Bloomberg wins the nation’s Democratic primaries and wins the party nomination for president against Trump. But given the history of how dirty the national Democrats play politics, I am pretty sure they will push him out as an outsider and elect some loser like Joe Biden or even Elizabeth Warren. Biden and Warren, to me, represent the absolutely moral corruption and decay of the Democratic Party. As for Trump, he represents the Republican Party’s self-destruction.
As Hamilton finally comes to an end, with it’s last Chicago performance January 5, I can breath a sigh of relief. In truth, the politics may have been offensive, but that wasn’t the worst part.
As much as Hamilton’s actors asserted themselves to be champions for minority rights, tickets to the show cost more than $250 each, unless you were willing to take a seat on the sidelines behind a cement column.
Ray Hanania
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A critic of mainstream news media bias, Hanania advocates for peace & justice for Israel & Palestine, & the empowerment of Arabs in America.
Click here to listen to Ray's Political Podcast.
Hanania's columns are archived on his personal website at RayHanania.com. Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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