The Tonys- or The Hamiltonys as they are now known- take place against the backdrop of Omar Mateen having reportedly killing 50 people and wounding 53 more at an Orlando nightclub.
Theater’s equivalent of the Oscars could hardly have ignored the mass shooting, especially in view of Broadway having historically had such a strong LGBT presence.
The 2016 #TonyAwards are dedicated to those affected by the events in Orlando. pic.twitter.com/ILNbbhxSHD
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) June 12, 2016
But Hamilton– up for a record-breaking 16 awards tonight- has gone further. The musical, led by creator-star Lin-Manuel Miranda, has announced it will drop muskets during its musical performance on the Tonys telecast in view of the Orlando shooting.
The cast of the Broadway phenomenon will now perform two songs, “History Has Its Eyes on You” and “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” without muskets– despite Yorktown being a revolutionary war battle that involved muskets galore. The show ends with Hamilton dying after being fatally shot in a duel by Aaron Burr (with a pistol).
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 12, 2016
As much as we love “Hamilton”, this seems a somewhat feeble response to the tragedy. If the show’s message really conflicts with the shooting- which it doesn’t- why not cancel the performance altogether?
The decision to drop muskets also unintentionally goes to the heart of the gun control debate since the Second Amendment specifically references: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The founders had 18th century men bearing muskets precisely in mind when the United States constitution was framed making it even more awkward that Hamilton has laid down its arms for tonight’s Tony celebration.
And could anyone really have called out a musket-wielding Hamilton performance as inappropriate given that the show chronicles the formation of America through the lens of a mainly non-white cast? You don’t have to be a Founding Father to work out that this may be an over-reaction.
Hamilton should use the muskets tonight. Maybe it’ll remind people what weaponry existed when the Constitution was written.
— Michael Thompson (@Mthompson9295) June 12, 2016
Regardless, the show will go on.