Church Gives Illegal Performance of 'Hamilton' With Unapproved Themes

A Texas church stirred controversy after illegally performing a version of "Hamilton" that featured unapproved messaging, according to multiple reports. 

The "Hamilton" team on Broadway said in a statement to Forbes that it did not grant a license to perform the musical to the Door Christian Fellowship Ministries of McAllen, but the church had performances Friday and Saturday. The church also incorporated a sermon that compared being gay with having an addiction. 

According to the San Antonio Express-News, characters Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler Hamilton talked about how Jesus "saved" them. Pastor Victor Lopez then followed up one of the performances with a sermon in which he compared being gay to alcohol and drug addiction. 

"He knows exactly what you've gone through," Lopez said, referring to God, according to San Antonio Express-News. "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."

In a statement to the Dallas Morning News, Pastor Roman Gutierrez said he had received permission to produce the church's show from the team behind "Hamilton" — claims that were refuted by a spokesperson for the official production who said the show was unauthorized and performed illegally. 

A cease-and-desist letter from the production's attorneys was sent to the church Saturday demanding "the immediate removal" of all photos and videos of the show from the internet, according to Forbes. The church complied and producers allowed the church’s performance on Saturday to move forward if no recording or photos of the performance were taken. The church was also prohibited from any further productions. 

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