Texas Church Agreed to Pay Damages After Unlicensed Version of Hamilton Goes Viral
The Texas Church, with the unauthorized version of Hamilton, has agreed to pay damages and issue a public apology.
Law and Crime reported that the said Texas Church had done a performance of their own version of Hamilton with Christian and anti-LGBTQ themes.
The Texas Church is identified as Door Christian Fellowship Ministries in McAllen, Texas. It staged its own Hamilton performance, with clips of it posted online.
Changes were made to the original text in the church's Hamilton, such as adding multiple references to Jesus and Christianity.
Fans dubbed the alternate version as #Scamilton. Some of the scenes were also altered to remove sexual references.
There was also an added scene wherein Alexander Hamilton asks for forgiveness and accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
It was then immediately followed up with a sermon that noted God could help people who "struggle" with their homosexuality, drugs, and alcohol.
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Texas Church's Version of 'Hamilton'
The Door Christian Fellowship Ministries apologized to Hamilton's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind the musical for its unauthorized version.
Vulture noted that the Texas Church agreed not to reprise the performance and to pay undisclosed damage for its unauthorized production.
The statement of the Texas Church noted that they "respect the copyrights of Hamilton's author and contributors," adding that the copyrights are "protected by federal law." It also acknowledged that the church did not ask or receive a license from the producers or creators of Hamilton to replicate any part of the hit musical play.
The statement added that they did not seek prior permission to change Miranda's work by altering the lyrics, deleting songs, and adding dialogues.
Shane Marshall Brown, a spokesperson for Hamilton, noted that they do not award amateur or professional licenses for people to put on their own Hamilton production.
The lawyers for the musical play sent the Texas Church a cease-and-desist notice, according to Newsweek report.
The Hamilton spokesperson noted that the damages that will be paid by the Texas church will be donated to charity.
Hamilton Production
Lin-Manuel Miranda started creating a musical about the Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, after reading his biography written by Ron Chernow's 2004.
Hamilton was from the small Caribbean Island of Nevis and became a leading U.S. statesman. He was also the first U.S. secretary of the treasury.
Britannica noted that Miranda saw Hamilton's story as alike to the humble beginnings of rappers, which resulted in Hamilton's production.
The musical play featured a diverse cast, with Miranda included in the play as the main role. It opened to Off-Broadway at New York City's Public Theater in January 2015.
It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016 and received 16 Tony nominations, eventually winning 11 Tonys. Hamilton was dubbed the best musical, with its creator, Miranda, winning the best book and best original score.
Miranda made his final performance in the show in July 2016.
READ MORE: 7 Facts About Broadway's Rising Star Lin-Manuel Miranda
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Church Performs Unauthorized Production of ‘Hamilton’ - from Inside Edition