Following the politicization of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lin-Manuel Miranda has cancelled the upcoming Hamilton run in 2026.

Miranda–joined by Hamilton lead producer Jeffrey Seller–announced the cancellation during a joint interview with The New York Times. The cancellation is one of many that have taken place in recent weeks and will continue to take place, either publicly or quietly.

Lin-Manuel Miranda:

“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it. The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it.”

Jeffrey Seller:

“It became untenable for us to participate in an organization that had become so deeply politicized. The Kennedy Center is for all of us, and it pains me deeply that they took it over and changed that. They said it’s not for all of us. It’s just for Donald Trump and his crowd. So we made a decision we can’t do it.”

A lengthier statement from Seller has been posted to the Hamilton social media pages, including Facebook and Instagram.

Personally speaking, I cannot blame anyone involved with Hamilton for making this decision. Their decision is a no-brainer and it’s just very sad–if there’s a better word to use here, please tell me–that the convicted felon sitting in the White House has decided to personally ruin The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for artists, tourists, and residents living in the Federal Triangle. It’s a shame and it didn’t need to be this way. All is not lost as The New York Times points out. Other venues stand to gain while The Kennedy Center loses–this is the case for Hamilton. They hadn’t signed any contracts nor were tickets placed for sale.

This would have marked Hamilton‘s third run at The Kennedy Center, following runs in 2018 and 2022. Additionally, the show’s creative team–writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, and music director Alex Lacamoire–were honored as Kennedy Center Honorees in 2018.

Hamilton was initially going to be part of The Kennedy Center’s Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary celebration. But after the felon decided to take over The Kennedy Center and install himself as chairman with a very partisan board, the celebration will be different. It will probably be skewing towards the right-wing as many artists will not be playing there until 2029 at the earliest. What we know at the moment is that shows that were planning runs at The Kennedy Center are “quietly canceling” the not-yet-announced performances. Again, I don’t blame them.

Interestingly enough, Parade is expected to perform as scheduled this summer. The Tony Award-winning musical just happens to be in the news for other reasons at the moment. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson echoed antisemitic neo-Nazi talking points in comments about Leo Frank that were posted last year on Twitter.

For more information on where you can find Hamilton playing in the US, please click here or here.

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.