To the editor: I never thought I’d be annoyed at both Lin-Manuel Miranda and Donald Trump at the same time, but I am (“‘Hamilton’ cancels Kennedy Center run after Trump takeover,” March 5). By canceling the run of his masterpiece, “Hamilton,” scheduled to open next March at Lincoln Center, Miranda’s behavior suggests that he is succumbing to the very thing he protests: the politicization of the arts. I would like to think Miranda could rise above such pettiness, and not deprive his audience of enjoying his rich historical opera in person.
Linda L. Beaven, Glendale
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To the editor: “Hamilton’s” creator sanctimoniously is quoted as saying, “The Kennedy Center has long been an artistic center devoid of a political point of view …” During one of the first performances of “Hamilton,” Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Aaron Burr, disrespectfully upbraided Vice President Mike Pence in attendance by saying to him from the stage:
“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 inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”
I was shocked that a U.S vice president would be treated disrespectfully. Devoid of a political point of view? Give me a break.
Jim Johnson, Hemet
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To the editor: Bravo and a standing ovation to the cast and crew of “Hamilton” for canceling their Kennedy Center appearance. No artist from any discipline should accept, attend or perform at the Kennedy Center, so long as the man-who-would-be-king presides over its board.
John F. Kennedy said, “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” Trump and his ilk are the very antithesis of this truth. But, of course, we already [know] about Trump’s relationship with the truth.
Bill Waxman, Simi Valley
