Donald Trump's Twitter denunciation of "Hamilton" has seemed to have caused the Broadway musical to have a record sales week at the box office. The show earned a reported $3.3 million in eight shows over the course of Thanksgiving week.
The record sales week on Broadway had previously been held by "Wicked," which earned $3.2 million in a nine-show week in 2013. Last week, "Hamilton" also set records for the highest premium ticket price ($998) as well as the average ticket price ($303).
Vice president-elect Mike Pence attended the show on Nov. 18, and he was directly addressed by Brandon V. Dixon, the actor who plays Aaron Burr, who said, "We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our alienable rights, sir.”
Trump was infuriated upon hearing of the "Hamilton" actors singling out the vice president-elect and expressing their fears about a Trump presidency. He referred to the unexpected speech as "harassment" that violated the "safe space" that is supposed to exist within the theater. He demanded that the cast apologize, a request that was respectfully declined. There are some who believe Trump's outcry about the "Hamilton" incident was a deliberate move to divert attention away from his other controversies, including the $25 million settlement over fraud lawsuits brought against the now-defunct Trump University.
