Church's altered 'Hamilton' is followed by sermon comparing homosexuality to addiction
In “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has long noted that the acclaimed Broadway show was “a story about America then, told by America now,” represented in the diversity and talent of a cast from all walks of life that helped the show win 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.
But a Texas church’s rendition of the popular musical has gained attention for different reasons, after the show was edited to include several biblical references not mentioned in Miranda’s original production. It was followed by a sermon that compared being gay to having an addiction. The “Hamilton” team in New York also says it did not give a license or permission to the Door McAllen church in McAllen, Tex., to stage the performance, thus making the show an illegal reproduction.
The version of “Hamilton” produced by the Door McAllen and RGV Productions that was performed and live-streamed Friday and Saturday included scenes in which the characters Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton talked about how Jesus “saved” them, according to videos of the show from author and podcast host Hemant Mehta. After one of the performances, Pastor Victor Lopez gave a sermon with language that compared being gay to alcohol and drug addiction, according to the OnStage Blog, the first to report about the show.
“He knows exactly what you’ve gone through,” Lopez said, referring to God, according to the video. “You’ve gone through maybe broken marriages. Maybe you struggle with alcohol, with drugs — with homosexuality — maybe you struggle with other things in life, your finances, whatever, God can help you tonight. He wants to forgive you for your sins.”
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Putting on an unauthorized production would be tacky in itself, but making such substantive changes in the content is beyond the pale. This church needs to be sued immediately, to make them stop this travesty. 