A church in Texas, which staged an unauthorized performance of the hit musical “Hamilton” earlier this month with lyrics altered to reflect Christian themes, has said it will take action after lawyers for “Hamilton” called for the performance to be canceled. He apologized on Tuesday and agreed to pay for the damages.
A version made this month by The Door McAllen, a non-denominational church in the border town of McAllen, Texas, changed certain words and inserted a prayer of Jesus Christ, according to a clip posted on Twitter. It also included sermons about how God can help people fight homosexuality, as well as drugs and alcohol.
a message Posted on the church’s Instagram page on Tuesday, it apologized and acknowledged that the performance was not permitted, as claimed by the church’s pastor.
“We respect the copyrights of Hamilton’s authors and contributors,” the message said. “These copyrights are protected by federal law. A work of art like Hamilton’s should never be altered without legal permission.”
The post was not signed, but was written in first person as the Reverend being Romão Gutierrez. A man who answered a call at The Door McAllen Tuesday afternoon, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the message was posted by the church.
The message added that the church would pay for the damages. “Hamilton” spokesman Shane Marshall-Brown said Tuesday that “Hamilton” will donate all damages to the South Texas Equality Project, a coalition that supports the local LGBTQ community.
“The ‘Hamilton’ family stands for tolerance, compassion, inclusion and, indeed, LGBTQ+ rights,” Brown said in a statement earlier this month. “Everyone is welcome,” said pastor Gutierrez, in a statement to his Morning News of Dallas door at his McAllen.
Churches may perform copyrighted music during religious services under U.S. copyright law, but that exemption does not apply to other public performances.