Posted on 03/05/2025 3:21:18 PM PST by nickcarraway
Producer Jeffrey Seller said the show could not participate in the "new culture" of the institution.
Hamilton will no longer play the Kennedy Center next season in light of President Trump’s takeover of the institution.
The hit musical was set to perform at the Kennedy Center in March 2026, at what would have been the show’s third engagement at the theater. However, lead producer Jeffrey Seller cited the firings of the Kennedy Center president and of the chairman of the board, as well as the cancellation of programming at the center as reasons not to move forward.
“Given the recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Seller said in a statement.
In February, Trump became chairman of the institution and ousted Democratic members of the Kennedy Center Board. The contract of Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter was terminated as was that of chairman David M. Rubenstein, after Trump had previously said he would fire him and install himself as chair.
Ric Grenell, who worked in the previous Trump administration, has been named interim executive director and said he plans to “make art great again” and with near-term plans to do “a huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas.”
Several notable names affiliated with the Kennedy Center resigned following the news, including Ben Folds, Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes. Issa Rae cancelled her show at the Kennedy Center.
Seller noted that the Kennedy Center had previously had bipartisan support and politics had not impacted the institution in the past. To that point, Hamilton had previously played the Kennedy Center in 2018 during the prior Trump administration.
“We are not acting against his administration, but against the partisan policies of the Kennedy Center as a result of his recent takeover,” the statement reads.
However, the previous Trump administration did have run-in with Hamilton. When Vice President Mike Pence attended the Broadway production he was booed by audience members and was addressed by cast members during the curtain call who remarked on the diversity in the cast and called on the administration to protect all Americans.
Seller added that he was unsure whether the production of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center could have been abruptly cancelled.
“Our cancellation is also a business decision. Hamilton is a large and global production, and it would simply be financially and personally devastating to the hundreds of employees of Hamilton if the new leadership of the Kennedy Center suddenly cancelled or re-negotiated our engagement. The actions of the new Chairman of the Board in recent weeks demonstrate that contracts and previous agreements simply cannot be trusted,” he said.
Well, that’s one more way to shut down propaganda . . .
Since it’s called the Kennedy Center, can we turn it into a monument for the largest tax cut of all time?
How much did the Kennedy laundry lose on their racist play?
Good. From everything I heard, it was turned into a piece of crap.
It really was, and they took every opportunity to be woke as the day is long.
Goodbye to bad rubbish. Hate filled POSs. Anyway, with all these no show fed jobs being ended and the cancelling of dim party contract slush funds, few in DC could afford ticket prices now.
This is like quitting to avoid being fired.
WINNING!
Excellent.
There are people who still think Hamilton and Jefferson were slaves? Talk about morons. They were Caucasians. Some aho needs to buy a history book.
I’d like to see comedian Bill Burr play the part of Thomas Sewell.
Good. It was PC, race-swapped trash.
May it continue!
Well said.
Winning - Ditto !!!
Oh no!
Surely there must be a flea circus that can take their place!
Thank goodness! I hate Hamilton. Talk about cultural appropriation.
No Hamilton? meh.
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