It’s quiet uptown after a Texas church went viral on TikTok for its unlicensed, altered performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Nicknamed “Scamilton,†the church modified the show to represent religious themes; for example, it changed the lyrics of “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story†to talk about Jesus Christ instead of Angelica Schuyler (saying, “Jesus gives me the strength to pull through / When I needed him most, he was right on time†instead of “She is buried in Trinity Church near you / When I needed her most, she was right on timeâ€). Characters randomly break out into sermons in the production; at other times, there are awkward pauses longer than the essays in The Federalist Papers. While a church musical production isn’t expected to be the same quality as a Broadway show, theater fans noticed small details that would make any stage manager pull their hair out (their hair isn’t up because their hair tie’s on their wrist).
The church has finally responded to the backlash with its own version of the “Reynolds Pamphlet.†On its Instagram, the Door Christian Fellowship Ministries apologized to Miranda and the team behind the musical for “staging an unauthorized production.†It agreed to “never stage the performance again†and to pay undisclosed “damages†for its actions. That would be enough.