This Church's Illegal, Religious "Hamilton" Rip-Off is SO BAD (Scamilton)

[@GraceSavidesKeller]

Nothing says, "No homosexuality," like an elaborate musical production.

[@kallen868]

😂 Truth!

[@serenegenerally]

If anything a theatre production is inherently fruity

[@synodicseason]

i was in my school musical last year & a good third of us were gay/trans

[@brettmastema7056]

I dont struggle with homosexuality, i'm quite good at it

[@kallen868]

@@brettmastema7056 ❤😍

[@Sarahonwheels]

The last scene with Elizabeth narrating all her accomplishments before she dies is so powerful and moving and the church version is just like I showed children Jesus. It’s like she just made a orphanage to indoctrinate children. Ugh

[@elaexplorer]

Well sure, these types of churches always limit women's accomplishments to mothering duties.

[@axstorm2191]

there is nothing indoctrinating about bringing a child to Jesus Christ.

[@SkwithOv]

@@axstorm2191 lol sure jan

[@herrysterling6189]

@@axstorm2191 from an outsider perspective it's indoctrination

[@lrose5522]

@@axstorm2191 I'll take "What is indoctrination" for 200 please

[@britnicox3929]

The wildest thing to me is that they clearly have enough money that they could just make their own damn play

[@alisaurus4224]

But clearly writing is hard for them, judging by the clunky edits and additions. Much easier to steal & ask forgiveness later. Actually, i would bet they feel justified in breaking any number of laws if it’s in service of spreading ✨the Gospel✨… as if all of Texas isn’t already spread thicker with Jesus than Elvis’ sandwiches with peanut butter

[@twimmy1581]

Yeah but then how would they capitalize on the existing love for the Hamilton music THEN?

[@britnicox3929]

@@alisaurus4224 oh yeah they definitely feel justified in it

[@alexiswelsh5821]

IKR, how hard is it to come up with a story with the following plot: 1. MC is born and raised in a bad part of an empire. 2. MC is orphaned, and loses the rest of his family. 3. MC rejects Jesus. 4. By the Grace of God, MC survives a natural disaster and is able to move to a better part of the empire and go to college. 5. MC helps part of the empire rebel and become it’s own country. 6. MC becomes corrupted by ambition, pride, and eventually lust. 7. MC’s marriage falls apart, people disown him, and his oldest kid dies. 8. MC accepts Jesus back into his life and fixes his relationships. 9. MC is no longer ambitious and lustful, however he still struggles with pride. 10. MC’s pride ends up killing him.

[@misselizabethplays8070]

@@twimmy1581 Word. This is not about creative expression, this is about trying to co-opt something popular and turn it into a propaganda tool. That, and giving their congregation a "clean alternative" to something popular, but could possibly be "corrupted" by participating in. Something they do a lot, actually- a few examples come to mind: "Harvest festivals", Bibleman, every Christian pop artist...

[@botanicus2921]

This production really shows that if you don’t distress the Hamilton costumes, they all look super cheesy

[@teasorceryr3633]

The Party City version of Hamilton!

[@lexwithbub]

But also, no amount of distressing can fix that shitty polyester 😉

[@Jessidafennecfox]

@@lexwithbub it looks like something a newbie cosplayer would wear

[@botanicus2921]

@@lexwithbub hey man, you’d be surprised the materials that get used in professional settings. Maybe not for a broadway show, but there have definitely been uses on screen. It’s incredible what a great painter and costumer can do even with limited budgets

[@jungtothehuimang]

There costumes were serving dollar tree Halloween meets party city going out of business sale

[@mysticloverfairy1]

The church: Thou shalt not steal Also the church: Let’s steal this highly successful musical and try to indoctrinate to people .

[@nantae1047]

That's the horrendeous part, they think stealing is ok if if helps a 1% of the audience mEeT jEsUs

[@gianna526]

Exactly, the second church isn't the first one. These kind of religious nuts aren't even following the religion. God never said to hate anyone, yet they hate the lgbtq community. I'm a Christian and so often these crazy religious people go against the religion they claim to follow.

[@brettmastema7056]

a Methodist church in Vegas tried to do that and decided to make themselves look like a new theatre group. They started the season with Bye Bye Birdie which was done in the main church area. We sat in the pews to watch, because my friends daughter was in it. I spent most of the show writing stories about bestiality in Sharpie in the Bibles in front of me. They didn't do another show, they were in over their heads.

[@skaisnotdead]

Most of Christianity is stolen from other religions so really it's the baseline of the institution.

[@jassychanVO]

Would like, but it's at 666 😩

[@msroxannablack]

I’ve never seen Hamilton, but because they used a beloved Broadway musical to push a homophobic message I honestly hope that this church gets sued to the ground.

[@kaodi6993]

yes 🤷🏾‍♂️ and they have alot of money.

[@msroxannablack]

I’m a big fan of taking money from religious organizations anyway. They have way too much lol.

[@DaraJill]

As many an Etsy seller has learned: Never Fuck with Disney's Bag. Disney has no problem going after small creators for infringing on their IP.

[@JimJamTheAdmin]

Yeah, you aren't missing much with Hamilton. For me, I literally only give a shit because it's anti-gay.

[@ontxtteredwxngs]

exactly. that has to be defamation, too if they're saying Lin would approve a homophobic version of this.

[@reginarodriguez1477]

As someone who lives in the valley, it’s really disheartening to see that THIS is the musical theater we finally get recognized for. There are high schools and performing arts centers in the valley, more specifically McAllen who have put on amazing, LEGAL productions of wonderful shows but because of the area we live in, they hardly get any recognition outside of the Palm Awards. Though it may be surprising because we’re the home of Scamilton, this is actually quite a liberal bubble of Texas. This county and the surrounding areas voted against Trump twice, and a Latina progressive has just been nominated to represent this congressional district in the upcoming election. Whatever your take away from this is, don’t let it be that this specific area of Texas sucks. Texas as a whole is the worst, but we’re ok (not great, but ok.)

[@AwesomeFreakMadd]

Glad to hear it's a pretty progressive area :) As a born and raised South Texan who ran away to the North lol I'm normally pretty ashamed of Texas as a whole but I also fully understand that there are so many amazing individuals who are gerrymandered into their red districts and work so hard for equality. Also being in marching band in high school, playing against the valley schools was terrifying. They were amazing as hell! Best musicians around.

[@MEIindustries]

the Latina is a republican, not progressive lol

[@rs-mt6kl]

Lol this is honestly the best most honest take on a sort of Texas from a texan I've ever read. Sincerely, a Michigander who's area is "Not The Worst but pretty Not Great"

[@stargazingstar3239]

I was born in Texas and it's good to see that some parts are still ok

[@jazminsalas2346]

Exactly! I'm from McAllen and it's so sad this is what we are getting recognition for

[@ckind2098]

The general incoherence of this production aside, why on earth would the sermon be on homosexuality (or drug addiction, for that matter)? It's such a bizarre choice when there are a million things you could talk about that actually thematically tie in to the story of Hamilton in some way - ego and infidelity are both relevant story elements that would be insanely easy to work into a sermon

[@hello-l4n]

right and like im not even into hamilton and im aware of how important acceptance seems to be to lin manuel and this musical lol. like twisting his work into something hateful seems like the last thing youd wanna do if you didnt get permission and dont wanna be sued?

[@littlemau1360]

Especially because hamilton was heavily rumored to have a male lover lmao

[@ilovepiedoyou2]

I do not support this church but it wasn’t a sermon on homosexuality! The homosexuality part was one sentence from the sermon

[@JnTmarie]

@@ilovepiedoyou2 you don’t rewrite a masterpiece!

[@tracymartel10]

Shows once more that Christian’s cherry pick which things they care about 😂 They found a way to squeeze in homophobia in a show that had nothing to do with homosexuality

[@kg7219]

fuckin love seeing a media commentary channel where the creator actually knows what theyre talking about and has experience working on set lmfao hell yea nick stay winning my guy

[@Cat_Woods]

"Honestly, I can see why Lin Manuel Miranda chose to cut this scene." 🤣

[@AwesomeFreakMadd]

except that brief moment where the church made Nick straight. Luckily they fought through Lol

[@brettmastema7056]

@@AwesomeFreakMadd I dont think Nick struggles with homosexualily he seems to do fabulously at being a homo.

[@tobywobydog]

I just think it’s funny that they removed a bunch of songs but keep “Say no to this” which is literally about Hamilton cheating…

[@brettmastema7056]

I think that pastor had a wife who cheated in his past. He really was blaming much of the problems of AH on that one thing.

[@quasi8180]

Ah the irony

[@Wade.Stikmann]

Guess they didn't know how to say no to this.

[@jemqoos7166]

Tbh the rest of the show wouldn’t make any sense if they left that song out

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@jemqoos7166 They still took out other songs that made it make sense

[@ericb9252]

As a Pansexual Christian in the dirty south, I can honestly say nothing good can come after the phrase "a church in Texas".

[@hannacosmos]

A church in Texas burned down with kkk members inside, no one survived 🎺

[@Debo_OG]

🤣🤣

[@genesiselaine]

😭

[@goobertron9099]

im a trans aroace and I’ve been to Texas to see my family a few years back, it was NOT fun 😃!!

[@goobertron9099]

Side note I live in the south too!

[@DaraJill]

This is just the embodiment of fundamentalist privilege to think the original creators and license holders telling you "Fuck around and find out" is some how authorization to steal other's property. Pretty sure the Bible has a whole lot to say about stealing. Actual theatre companies have had their authorized licenses pulled for making too many changes. I guess none of the lawyers involved wanted the sticky wicket of suing a church, but they really should have done it and stopped the production.

[@Cat_Woods]

Yes. The more churches get away with this, the more entitled they feel to keep doing it. They just count on "no one will sue a church." Time to have more lawsuits against churches.

[@DaraJill]

@@Cat_Woodstheir "religious freedom" ended when they decided to make a profit and upload it. Clearly they want the notoriety and to fundraise off of their "persecution".

[@DarlingMissDarling]

@@DaraJill yep, they'll scream "persecution" from now until the world implodes. All while conveniently leaving out the whole "stealing" part, of course.

[@jinx17]

That's what happens when churches are exempt from so much ie taxes 😒 they think they're untouchable

[@stewieismyhomeboy]

Yeah, ain't that some shit. The Disney lawyers are fine suing daycares and parents of dead children, but when it comes to police officers who use the Punisher logo without authorization or a church that put on a version of Hamilton where they changed some lyrics to be about Jesus, they pause with the lawyers. Hm.

[@leah6820-y9v]

As someone who works in wardrobe, I'm living for your costume disses. Eliza's dress was definitely taken out of a package and nothing happened to it before this girl was forced to wear it. 19:59 I laughed so hard at this comment. They were told to take it all down. Nothing on the internet ever stays gone. This is an insult to the people behind this show. Changing the time period, lyrics, or anything to any copyrighted material is illegal. "What about Shakespeare?!" Shakespeare is public domain. You can do whatever. Once this happened, it was crazy to me how many people defended the church and didn't know that schools pay for rights. "Thou shalt not steal."

[@DarlingMissDarling]

Exactly! "Thou shalt not steal (unless it's for jesus then it's like totally ok because since god made the world he basically owns everything so then it's not really stealing) amen!"

[@DaraJill]

@@DarlingMissDarling you just know that dress was Amazon Cosplay Musical Hamilton DIY Revolutionary Victorian Dress $39.99 special.

[@DarlingMissDarling]

@@DaraJill haha oh no doubt!

[@leah6820-y9v]

@@DaraJill Oh definitely.

[@PanicLedisko]

THANK YOU!! They are so blinded by their obsession with Jesus, they are some how oblivious to how hypocritical they are!! They're the same to me as any alt right, any argument you try to have with them they cannot think logically, so when you try to show them facts and speak logically it goes right in one ear and out the other. It's infuriating!! I can't even stand dealing with them!

[@jordy_muhnordy]

When I was 16, I was in a religious production called "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames." There was no copyright to worry about, but I wanna talk about it anyway. The play was a series of scenes where we see the last moments of people's lives before they die, and they received their sentence, heaven or hell (I went to Hell btw). I was extremely freaked out the first rehearsal, being dragged to Hell and all, but I felt like hey this is the Lord's work, right? I thought this play was doing something good and transformative, bringing people closer to Christ, but looking back it was straight up fear mongering. Seeing scenes where kids are sent to Hell, parents and kids are separated in the afterlife because a mom wanted to go shopping with her daughter instead of going to church, *TW* seeing a woman unalive after her husband abandons her and end up in hell, it was all really heavy stuff. Gave a whole new meaning to God-fearing. I'm sure plenty of people 'repented' out of genuine fear. I sympathize with these kids who probably felt the same way I did when I was that age, like they were going to inspire people to get saved, but are actually doing the opposite. I hope these kids aren't being mocked by their peers for this, but I also hope the Hamilton team takes legal action and the pastor takes the brunt of the pushback. I'm sure the church can pay up with the taxes they don't have to pay

[@kathyjuola6317]

I had forgotten the title, but I totally remember going to see that play! Yeah, it was pretty intense.

[@melaniedejonge5234]

I saw that play! The only vignette I remember was the father and son who get in a car accident. The father didn’t go to church on sundays because he wanted to watch football. When they were standing before judgement, the father was sobbing and begging for his son to be spared. He was saying, “i’ll take my punishment, but please-my boy has done nothing wrong! He only believed what I told him!” But nope! They both got dragged off to hell. And I was like…damn. God’s kind of a dick.

[@jordy_muhnordy]

@@melaniedejonge5234 apparently there's different skits they pick from, but that one was in the play I was in! So freaking dark, man

[@melaniedejonge5234]

@@jordy_muhnordy RIGHT????

[@WhirlyBeepBoops]

I remember some church in our state had something called the House of Fate (or was it House of Faith?) that was something quite similar - the audience would go to different rooms featuring skits of people meeting untimely deaths, then those that died would be sent based on wether they accepted Jesus as their Savior. The audience wasn't sentenced; they were allowed to see the ones that ended up in hell, but that was optional (since of course that could be scary for some). After that, everybody walked to heaven while passing Jesus being nailed to the cross. At least, that's my memory of it. So the one I saw was... better? But probably not free from those basic flaws. Still probably fearmongering, in the way of "you might die in a car crash soon because life is unpredictable, better pray to be saved before it's too late". Ouch.

[@unfortunate_bambi]

Kind of off topic, but I've seen Phillipa Soo (the original Elizabeth Hamilton actress) in person, she's seriously one of the most talented singers I've ever heard. Her tone is so beautiful, her control and vocal agility are wildly impressive. Uggh she's just so damn talented I love her voice sm

[@serenegenerally]

Oh that’s cool!! Also kak pfp 👀

[@Feimicha]

I’m not the biggest theatre kid, but I always love listening to her voice. Her pure and clear tone always makes me envious : >

[@777letsgoo]

IM SO JEALOUS YOU'RE SO LUCKYYY

[@amandalynn4979]

Saw her in Into The Woods and Camelot! She's a very sweet and talented person 😊

[@eeng17]

You're so lucky to have seen her in person and from what I've seen in the Hamilton movie, she is amazing.

[@29jgirl92]

All that money the save not paying taxes, and they still couldnt pay to get Eliza's dress steamed!

[@HeySlothKid]

I mean it’s clearly 100% synthetic so perhaps they were worried it would melt. (Seriously though cotton would have been period appropriate why use that awful shiny lining fabric)

[@NathalieO]

Oh! Shot!😁

[@queerqueen098]

@Edward Vincent Laybourn Waller hahaha

[@Feimicha]

In the first few clips I cringed really hard at the CLEARLY MODERN BLAZER that they used for the churchified Aaron Burr ;-; The costumes had NO historical silhouettes and it made me feel horrendous

[@quasi8180]

The costumes are lazy as fuck they couldve used cotton or linen or something wool perhaps they definately have the money for it Eliza's dress is horrendous

[@fiorefiore9910]

I read somewhere that some historians (and Lin Manuel Miranda himself) believed that the real Alexander Hamilton might have been bisexual, but obviously he kept it secret because of the laws of the time. If that's true then this church accidentally making a play about a bi historical figure and attaching an anti queer message at the end is the most ironic thing ever.

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

even if its still a debated subject, the musical itself pretty much plays him as bisexual so its straight washing anyways 😭 straighties gonna straight

[@kariissmol9172]

@@iwakeupandboomimarat i mean the letters to Lawrence... dayum that was very gay

[@11MissingPhoenix]

This is the most well-done comment on this whole shit play

[@bumblebeeproductions1673]

Also he was having an affair during the war with his gay friend John Laurens

[@11MissingPhoenix]

@@bumblebeeproductions1673 Yup ⭐

[@Singalong54321]

Had to cleanse after with the original pro-shot. What's sad is Hamilton was literally bisexual. They made a show about a man who was bi in real life and turned it homophobic. It's disrespectful!

[@tut252]

Exactly, so enraging with the audacity of these people

[@11MissingPhoenix]

Ikr!! It pissed me off so much 💀

[@11MissingPhoenix]

@Edward Vincent Laybourn Waller Yea, Lams is OTP 💛

[@Singalong54321]

@Edward Vincent Laybourn Waller I always use that as an example! Literal love letters. Can't deny there was something more than friends between them.

[@xporiia]

@Edward Vincent Laybourn Waller naw!! They were just besties lmao!! Homies amiright 🙄🙄

[@stxrstruck6755]

I hope Lin-Manuel sues them because THE DISRESPECT 😭

[@amandalynn4979]

Lin announced last week he and the Writer Guild had slapped them with a cease and desist and are looking into a lawsuit, don't worry, he's getting their asses.

[@stxrstruck6755]

@@amandalynn4979 THANK GOD

[@11MissingPhoenix]

@@amandalynn4979 I read it as _"Lin slapped them"_ 💀💀

[@thelanktheist2626]

@@11MissingPhoenix Lin is slapping that church with legal so hard

[@sharkyy3917]

​@@thelanktheist2626 ahoy!! a fellow greg

[@elisyasinea1727]

The idea that Hamilton was being converted during his speech in The World Was Wide Enough doesn’t even work. Hamilton says that they started going to church as a family during It’s Quiet Uptown. The lyric is “we take the children to church on Sunday, the sign of the cross at the door, and I pray, that never used to happen before.” It’s like they never even listened to the original soundtrack.

[@morethan1]

The off-beat banging on the table during the Hercules bit 💀💀💀

[@alexwyatt2911]

I’m sure that’s not the only thing he bangs with such lackluster enthusiasm and unsatisfying rhythm.

[@sarah-zv8ld]

@@alexwyatt2911 this roast wasnt even about me and i had to take a breather

[@xporiia]

"Ayyy 😐" 😐✊👊😐✊😐👊

[@jayfeather8023]

@@alexwyatt2911 *W H E E Z E*

[@geministrial950]

@@alexwyatt2911 DAAAMN

[@HikariHolic]

I have extended family that's from the town this whole scandal happened, and it's wild to see it blow up everywhere. I always knew some random part of the town did plays and broadcast them on tv growing up, but this is wild. I feel bad for the kids a bit because some of them are just really into musical theater in the RGV, and this mess is one of the only outlets.

[@cam4636]

I'm sure, but like, if you're willing to say "yes I'm cool with homophobia" to get a part you're not getting sympathy from me

[@Annie_Annie__]

Yep, I’m from south Texas (though not the Valley) and there just aren’t many venues for the arts for kids at all down here. Especially since *if* a kid’s school has a theater elective, they’re often bullied for it because of the rampant homophobia down here. And often the only way a kid is able to participate in theater of any sort is if they’re a little girl that’s been taking ballet since toddlerhood and get a part in the annual production of the Nutcracker. Other than that your only other option is church plays. (For some reason being in those doesn’t make you “gay” or “evil”, but being in your public school’s theatre class or being a boy in choir makes you “gay” and worthy of bullying. Make it make sense!)

[@alisaurus4224]

RGV = Rio Grande Valley. I’m in Texas too, but Dallas area, so i don’t see that abbreviation much and i had to look it up 😁

[@maryellenparmenter9303]

@@cam4636 those kids might not agree with the pastor's homophobia or even know he would say that. I participated in church dramas and my pastor had terrible views that I didn't agree with. Kids tend to be not in control of what church they attend

[@Annie_Annie__]

@@alisaurus4224 Yeah, “RGV” or just “the Valley” is common shorthand in south Texas for the Rio Grande Valley. It’s known to the rest of the country as “ya know that little tip at the bottom of Texas? That area.”

[@amityislandchum]

How did this church get away with having their own Beauty and the Beast musical online? Disney is pretty legendary for being extremely litigious when it comes to protecting their IP.

[@kamilareeder1493]

Hi, choreographer here. The simple answer, is that it's really hard to sue churches in some states. Hmm fairytale are tougher 🥲☝️ the original plot and story are clearly public domain by now, so you'd have to make sure the dialog, musical numbers, and characters were different from Disney ☝️. Doable, but takes lots more creativity and planning to get out of Disney's HUGE shadow 😪. With the money, they could have done it, but they lacked creativity for sure. It seems like they had money but are unskilled lol

[@shayneelizabeth358]

Who wants to be in the news for suing a church?

[@brettmastema7056]

@@kamilareeder1493 There was a professional Theatre production of Aladdin done for a Christmas season. Which they, quite comically, had things which were similar but were very clear were not the same as the disney version. The princess was not Jasmine, she was Yasmin. The cave of wonders was like "a tunnel of secrets" They would have been much harder to go after had they gone full out and changed lyrics and made them a parody. Doesn't need to be even that funny, just has to be different enough that the shows message had been transformative. Then Boo-Yah we got a legit case of whether its fair use

[@kamilareeder1493]

@@brettmastema7056 😂😂😂💀 thanks for sharing.

[@brettmastema7056]

@@kamilareeder1493 ahh, thanks for appreciating my random additions to the conversation. 😍💙

[@FeministCatLadySpinster]

So they claimed they had permission, but actually didn't? Hmm. I seem to remember something about lying being a sin. 🤔

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

The lied, stole, and coveted. Some church.

[@brettmastema7056]

I thought they got that AFTER it was learned about. They let them do their final show with the expressed thing they could not live stream it and had to remove the on line videos. I could be wrong but I heard this was given to them when they had one show left after everyone knew. They still were going to have to pay fines. I honestly haven't confirmed this. I usually do before stating things but ive been smoking pot and im feeling lazy. At least i admit that. 😀

[@giovannirastrelli9821]

@@brettmastema7056 He uses misleading phrasing to imply they had the rights all along.

[@brettmastema7056]

@@giovannirastrelli9821 Well that's unfortunate. Apparently that is what Jesus would have done. Noted.

[@nantae1047]

Because lying and stealing is completely okay if you drive people 🦄 🌈🌠closer to jesus🦄🌈🌠 trough it 😌😌😌

[@thequeenofcringe1585]

Remember when the cast of Hamilton put the entire show on pause to basically tell Mike Pence that he sucks? I want to see them do that with the people who made this rip off. Also, I’m not even a theater kid, and I know the difference between a play and a musical production. The straights are gonna straight, I guess.

[@keshagriffin3375]

Same

[@patty1247]

They didn’t do that. At the end of the show when typically the cast takes a bow and a cast member read a speech advocating for basic human rights that was co-signed by the entire cast. They were incredibly respectful! Fellow theater goers boo-ed at Pence. I just think it’s important not to feed into the right wing narrative that the cast attacked Pence. They didn’t.

[@joemama-zm4de]

@@patty1247 ..... bro its not an attack to say someone sucks LOL

[@thequeenofcringe1585]

@@patty1247 yeah true, but sometimes you have to simplify things for right wing idiots. Hell, you have to simplify things for right wing idiots most of the time.

[@ThymeofGhost]

@@joemama-zm4de right? Like they brought up attack op just said tell.

[@mandipandi303]

There's nothing more terrifying than a church production of anything.

[@knorkyat]

10:23 I’ve always been very confused and concerned about Hercules Mulligan’s interest in horses too, this should be discussed more by all of us

[@randomrose6398]

I think I read somewhere that the line is SUPPOSED to mean like, the daughters will use the horses to go to a bootycall w/Mulligan??? I still always think he’s dtf a horse though LMAO

[@knorkyat]

That makes sense but it feels like Lin Manuel Miranda really favoured the rhyming scheme over being clear that Mulligan was not a horse-fucker which is a bold choice lol

[@misselizabethplays8070]

Any foal's a goal.

[@knorkyat]

HahahHahahaha

[@knorkyat]

Was stealing horses a bigger deal than fucking them?

[@juliastrawn2113]

Did the church *intentionally* choose to ripoff the musical who's lead is the largest bisexual disaster that's been created for a musical?

[@drawingoddessy]

“Largest bisexual disaster” that’s definitely Hamilton all right 💀

[@PadawanoftheSea]

Wow they really thought that years of tweaking, writing, rewriting, and editing the original musical to make it sound poetic, concise, cool as hell, etc could be sloppily replaced with half-assed Christian nonsense and still have the same impact.

[@DaraJill]

Even if they had changed the lyrics entirely, the music is subject to copyright by Miranda and his orchestrator/music director Alex Lacamoire. You can be sued just for using the melodies in their entirety. The parody Spamilton made changes to the music and cut the show to 80 min (also parody and satire are protected because they are commentary on the piece as whole, not a recreation that alters the original work)

[@bananawitchcraft]

Considering my personal experience with the quality of Christian popular music, I'm guessing the actual target audience is so jazzed on Jesus that they don't really care

[@xporiia]

I READ IT AS TWERKING.

[@maximumlength5052]

I used to be straight but gay sex ruined me. One of my ‘friends’ introduced me to gay sex and it was pretty cool at first, but I kept on wanting more and more, until eventually I became immune to normal levels of gay sex, I didn’t get the same hit, I needed more. My addiction became so bad I almost died of gay sex overdose and withdrawal at the same time. I’m in gay sex rehab right now, but I still crave the gay sex.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

I feel like there's a good dozen musicals out there that would make more sense to plagiarize into an anti-gay thing. I mean Dear Evan Hansen already feels like it's a story about how being a closeted gay is miserable even though that's not what it's even remotely about, seems like that would be pretty easy to turn into homophobic propaganda. Or Fiddler on the Roof, with its built-in storyline of a father struggling with his childrens' love lives, seems like altering it so the love lives get progressively more gay would work great if you wanted to do some homophobic plagiarism. Can't believe I'm brainstorming this topic right now.

[@jessnather2700]

i think a church production of Fiddler on the Roof would be a very, very bad idea

[@DisabledDragon]

@@jessnather2700 Honestly, with the way some Christians treat Jews and Judaism, I can totally imagine that happening. Complete with literal come-to-Jesus moment. Can't even Pinterest a holiday without being told how it was actually about Jesus.

[@gasterthemaster6490]

Imagine LSOH with this premise. Suddenly Seymour would be completely removed, and he gets eaten because he LoVeD tHe WrOnG pEoPlE.

[@mxclaireharris]

Hamilton was a Christian, it was an important part of his identity to him. The idea that they have him rejecting Jesus throughout it would be insulting to him. As someone who has lost a child and Quiet Uptown breaks my heart every time I was so angry they changed it to feel like it's about his conversion and suggest that it's his choices that lost him his son.

[@efolinsky]

And he was bisexual

[@missopenblue89]

He had strayed away from the religion for awhile plus he had his affair and he wasn't going out preaching to people about his beliefs either

[@mxclaireharris]

@@missopenblue89 lots of people have affairs, it doesn't mean they strayed from their faith. I've yet to find that he rejected his faith and someone used his son's death to bring him back to his faith. From what I can see he was the only one who held his faith and criticised others for losing it.

[@stewieismyhomeboy]

Yes, but then they'd have to recognize that "accepting Jesus" doesn't magically make you stop sinning.

[@dragongirl7978]

Lol wow, was he? I can never keep track of which founding fathers were deists and which were Christian. That makes this so much worse. 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@tradbimbo]

If you have the chance, please consider covering the church musicals that Jenny Nicholson recently covered, those are such a chaotic force.. Also the pregnancy pact!

[@cewapaiget5734]

Jenny Nicholson ;)

[@Natashamertens]

I loved that video

[@amirahclark4989]

The differences in the singing and harmonies has me weak 😭😭😭”at least one orphanage needs to stay private” LMAO

[@arubinojr5670]

Why yes, I WAS terrified on seeing the title this was going to be the Jenny Nicholson Church, drunk on their success. I'm glad I was reassured within 4 words.

[@DecoraGarfoid]

I thought so too!

[@annabananawitz]

I wonder how the fall out from this, and "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical", are going to change copyright laws in general. It's weird that both of these 'creators' got warnings and stipulations from the copyright holders, and they both decided to interpret that as blessings to go as far as they wanted.

[@afroditesis4738]

I dont think it will change anything. Both these people were flagrant in their disregard for copyright. As long as others don't do that, they should be fine.

[@DaraJill]

Barlow and Bear went the route "better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission". It was in the realm of fair use fan art, until they started doing live performances. When they got the Grammy nom they should have immediately engaged a licensing attorney to try to actually do it legit. They took the early Netflix bemusement as approval, because they wanted to push their luck, that's just stupidity. If they were doing a parody, and not sincerity, they would have much more ground to stand on.

[@agentbeauty7516]

@@afroditesis4738 The problem is, this creates high stakes, public precedent. Using fanfiction, or changing it 'just enough' could have serious repercussions. If either side wins, it opens the door to anyone saying fuck you to original creators. Making adaptations and profit while ignoring the creator. (I know this is over simplified. But it's the gist)

[@afroditesis4738]

@@agentbeauty7516 I agree with you. That's why I'm pretty sure it will either settle out of court or the original creators will win.

[@JodiStrikesBack]

tHoU sHaLt NoT sTeAl

[@emmadaniels7631]

Imagine going to see this thinking it was the real Hamilton

[@11MissingPhoenix]

I wouldve walked out 💀

[@eeng17]

Ohhh danggggg

[@BeeBod]

Hearing the side by side of "the orphanage" part made me sob, I had to pause and walk away

[@CH-xq6if]

It's insane, and she did so much non faith orientated good they could of talked about without making it sound like she was an orphan murderer

[@raviamodernepic]

The irony of these people cosplaying Federalists like Hamilton. They clearly haven't read their Publius. The lack of historical understanding 😭

[@misselizabethplays8070]

Historical revisionism is kind of their whole thing.

[@NyxesRealms]

I adore Hamilton and am a gay so this dollar store sale production nearly killed me but you made it tolerable, Nick, thanks.

[@nerdoftheatre]

My favorite part was when the church was saying, "No, we got licensing." Like? Did they think the Hamilton team was too busy with the Broadway and touring shows to notice that this was going on? Also love how they claimed they got permission, yet there is not one single copyright blurb on any of the promotional material/program. When we do shows, there is like a paragraph of text somewhere on the posters saying who we licensed the show through.

[@bartho5212]

I do not know what I love more, the smooth transition to the sponsor or Nick pretending to cook in an empty pan 🤣. The dedication, keepin it 💯

[@D-AMJ-C]

I wanna see him pretending to bathe in an empty tub next! 😂 I love the funny!

[@katysikkema]

I’m a straight Christian and I can’t believe that church messed with Hamilton 😭 I hope they learn their lesson. Also, I absolutely LOVE your energy and charisma, you gained a new subscriber 🤗✨👑

[@KelseeAlexxLovesYou]

My long distance best friend and I just had an hour long conversation about this while I shopped at target the other day. I’m so glad you made this video so we can have another call debriefing this.

[@AGLoverAlways]

My old church did a parody of “Alexander Hamilton” and made it about how thankful they were for their volunteers. No joke, I used to go once in a while but THAT was the final nail in the coffin

[@bojomoonlight]

i want to add a note that at one point lin did tweet something about how no one had noticed that he made it sound like mulligan wanted to fuck a horse, so you’re not crazy for that lmfao

[@oobilikestuff4029]

As a Christian, I must say, saying something like: ‘You’re being punished for sining, that’s why your son died’ Is one of the most unchristian thing I have ever heard. At least, from the view of Christianity I’ve been raised in, this isn’t a normal thing to say at all.

[@kailyns8159]

If the original creators/rights holders give you permission to perform an alternate version of their show, I see no problem with adapting/changing some lyrics and/or scenes as long as the core of the show remains the same. When I was a kid there was a Christian version of Grease, for example, that only took out the sex references in “Greased Lightning” and changed the pregnancy storyline for Rizzo to an abusive bf scenario instead (not Kenickie). At the end Sandy did appear in her biker-girl costume but Danny takes the leather jacket off her and asks a girl standing by for her Sandy-esque sweater, which he puts on her shoulders as he tells Sandy she doesn’t need to change for him but he appreciates the fact that she was willing to do so. Rizzo leaves her abusive bf and ends up with Kenickie, the guy who was her shoulder for the whole play. Both couples do kiss at the end (though it’s a Disney stage kiss where they just hug and turn their heads so it looks like they are kissing) but the only mention of religion in the show is during “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” when Rizzo talks about how Sandy is a P.K. and doesn’t know anything about the real world and it makes her sick. That is how you respectfully alter a Broadway show to push your own agenda. What this church did with Hamilton was disrespectful, illegal, and disgraceful. They need to be sued and perhaps barred from staging other such recreations.

[@jack_patroclus]

that sounds WAY better than the original Grease tbh

[@kailyns8159]

@@jack_patroclus I’m not surprised. A lot of people, myself included, hate how Sandy drastically changes herself for Danny. If she changed for herself it’d be different. But she does it for him and to fit in with his crowd. I especially despise how “You’re the One That I Want” from the movie basically is a billboard telling Danny that Sandy is willing to have sex with him now. How do you go from running away from a guy because he tried to grope you to telling that same guy “if you’re filled with affection you’re too shy to convey, meditate in my direction, feel your way” in ONE DAY? That’s not healthy. Even the original song from the Broadway show- “All Choked Up”- is all about how horny Danny is and how Sandy is willing to help him out. Sandy has no identity in this show. She starts out the perfect daughter falling for a guy she thinks is the perfect son. When she finds out he is a rebel and has a lot more experience than he let on, she feels betrayed but still likes him. This is okay. What destroys the Sandy character for me is when she abandons the perfect daughter persona to be the perfect biker-girl persona instead. People like to argue that Danny changes for her too. But he doesn’t. He still has all the same opinions and morals at the beginning of the show as he does at the end. Sandy does not.

[@jack_patroclus]

@@kailyns8159 you are absolutely right. danny changes nothing about himself, and sandy just wipes away what few character traits she had (charater traits like, um. well. she's got... yeah never mind) in order to be a biker girl. it sends a really mixed message to any viewer.

[@molly_parker_1847]

@@kailyns8159otally, and since Grease is such a popular broadway show and movie nobody wants to admit how totally problematic it is including the 2nd Grease. Just because the guy is changing himself for a women this time doesn’t mean it’s any less problematic. I love these movies as much as the next person but you can like it and still understand how bad it is.

[@kailyns8159]

@@molly_parker_1847 Grease 2 is so much worse than Grease. And I don’t mean it’s a terrible movie (which it IS), but that compared to Grease the teen issues are way more problematic. Stephanie and Johnny: she broke up with him and he acts like she isn’t allowed to date anyone else. He literally drives her new love interest off a cliff! Paulette and Johnny: toxic as hell; he treats her like he owns her, telling her what to wear, where she can and can’t go. He continues to harass Stephanie while pursuing Paulette. Naturally this upsets her and he doesn’t even care. Louis and Sharon: there is nothing funny about tricking a girl into sleeping with you by scaring her; she made it clear she wasn’t ready and he kept pushing. “Reproduction”: OMG what a huge misfire. Not comedic at all. Blaming a girl for the fact that you (the boys) can’t control yourselves. She’s wearing the clothes that are available to her, and that included those awful triangle boob bras that gave girls that pin-up model figure. Claiming that when a girl straightens her sweater it’s a signal that she’s ready to undress. Gah! Stephanie and Michael: She’s awful to Michael when they first meet; and he knows this. So when he doesn’t tell her who he is when he’s dressed as the mysterious biker boy of her fantasy that’s really bad. He’s saying “you treat me different now and I like my chances so I’m going to stay quiet.” Essentially he is tricking her into sex by letting her believe he is someone else. “Score Tonight”: TRASH It hurts me so much that Judy Garland’s youngest daughter Lorna is associated with this train wreck. She portrayed Paulette. It ruined her chances for a career. She never got another job. And between her and her sister Liza, Lorna is the one with the real “Judy” pipes.

[@asmrsona3170]

Back-to-back Nick DiRamio episodes are much more effective in convincing me to believe in a god than any of this right-wing Christian drivel. Thank you for making this shit into sugar.

[@gigitastic90]

I'm sure someone has already mentioned it but if they haven't Jenny Nicholson covered a Canadian church called Church of the Rock that does these elaborate easter plays that are often just popular movies worked to be about the crucifixion with popular songs in them. Because nothing says Easter like seeing Simba get crucified and having someone sing Adele.

[@rosiebenn5965]

Oh my god I was so hoping you would do this video! Im completely obsessed with scamilton and tiktok has only so many videos 😂😂

[@NickDiRamioTV]

loll ive seen those edits too so funny 😂

[@m0ssy_mushrooms217]

‘Hamilton is the gayest thing son Disney+” The Owl House: am I a joke to you?

[@Alexissleepy97]

2 videos in 24 hours? We are blessed. Truly iconic. I needed some light and scathing funny commentary to give me relief from the hell that is my body 🥰

[@EllenBeal]

Your work ethic is honestly inspiring. The consistent quality is just unmatched!!

[@WillScarlet16]

Seriously, everyone STOP going after those kids - they’re really no better or worse than most high school performers, some actually have decent voices. Save the anger for the director and the other people who chose to alter the show’s lyrics and message. It’s bad enough these kids are forced to be part of this scandal, don’t go insulting and shaming them and messing up their lives further.

[@plutonium2]

Are we gonna ruin their potential and they are good kids? GAVEL GAVEL GAVEL Bunch of apologist nonsense.

[@samuelblachon95130]

They''re 🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️🗑️

[@sniggy412]

for sure. at that age, a role is a role and for a lot of them their parents were likely more approving of their participation of a church musical than a secular one. experience is experience for those kids its the adults that should have known better

[@brettmastema7056]

Can i at least make fun of King George? He was like eating or chewing gum while he forgot most of the song. I probably shouldn't because he might find where i live and eat me.

[@user-hanging-at-the-hanged-man]

Hey friend, teenager here. Gonna continue making fun of them

[@BM-dv5tb]

Hamilton literally starts going to church after his son died? There was no need for all of that

[@cacee4866]

Fell to my knees laughing from shock when it cut to the church version at 9:48. 😭

[@moonbeam0099]

I honestly can't wait until society progresses past all this nonsensical hate and fairytale bs. Keep up the good work, Nick! You're awesome!

[@Mimikinn]

I’m getting secondhand embarrassment for these poor kids who just wanted to be in a fun musical, or were just pushed into it by their parents. Imagine the crap they must be getting from their classmates and friends.

[@lindsay5180]

the changed bits are especially weird to me because there's already a strong undercurrent of religiosity in Hamilton, you don't have to change it. George Washington quotes scripture, the whole song It's Quiet Uptown has both strong religious undertones and overt religious references (I take the children to church on Sunday/The sign of the cross at the door/And I pray/That never used to happen before) and the play ends with the implication that both Alexander and Eliza went to heaven. You don't really have to change anything, but I guess they really wanted to do an alter call in there. At least the plays Jenny Nicholson highlighted were changed enough they likely count as fair use/parody (except where they lift whole pop songs with no change) but this is just... Hamilton with a few clunky line changes and an alter call.

[@hollyb6885]

As a huge fan of Hamilton, this church makes me sick. Why do they think it’s okay to, not only perform the play without permission, but to change the lyrics!!!?? I hope they get the pants sued off of them.

[@arbsbee9193]

hey nick, i don't know if you've already done something like this on patreon or here, but i would love a little video introducing us to your dog and how the adoption process was for you. i also rescued a little one after fostering and its a unique experience that'd i'd enjoy getting your take on

[@DecoraGarfoid]

yessss pleaseee

[@lilren2021]

The crazy thing is that in their church, unmarried women and men can’t touch so the people playing Hamilton and Eliza are married. But the girl who plays Eliza also plays the Reynolds’s woman. It’s insane

[@Zeffer32]

Glad they're getting sued, using such a fantastic musical to push homophobia and such lazy forced jesus lyrics is criminal

[@Cheyenne_Playz]

As a Bisexual Christian Catholic, this gave me so much embarrassment 😭 This is why we get called clowns by Atheists from time to time and I just wanna barf- Those "actors" they chose sound worse than all the choirs I heard from different churches (said choir singers are actually really good). Do they not realize they based their "play" off of a musical about the life of a Founding Father who WAS GAY for John Laurence?? (Is that how you spell his name I can't remember it's been so long 😭) Growing up with religious people and see how they misinterpret the Bible is baffling. I continue to spread Christianity without forcing it down on people's throats, and slay the day because ahm gay. Now if you excuse me I'm gonna rewatch Hamilton ✌️

[@shannie_renee]

okay but the “yes…yes…speak to pharmacist!” bit was literally me this morning 😂😂

[@LPOW84]

I literally cackled when you mentioned zoom interview with a vampire. Thanks for making my weekend lunch breaks entertaining. 💜❤️

[@maem7462]

The fact that the church thought they could convert Hamilton fans to being religious and no longer being gay is really funny to me

[@RichardNathanHolloway]

Also, super glad The Friendly Atheist was such a good source for you! Hemant really has terrific reporting all the time.

[@maisymariee]

And this is why I gave up religion years ago

[@gingergoddess8953]

Id bet anything Eliza is the pastor's daughter. She wouldnt have cut it for my high school's no-cut chorale

[@cestmon8475]

Omg i haven’t heard about this at all, but this is wild, I feel bad for the attorneys and lawyer who have to watch this remake on repeat to pin pont all the copyright laws they broke

[@misselizabethplays8070]

Actually, I picture them doing this with wicked glee. Getting paid to meticulously and mercilessly roast this garbage probably had them giggling maniacally all the way to the bank.

[@cestmon8475]

@@misselizabethplays8070 I love that!!! The thought of a straight up roast session on this “musical” brings me life!!! 🤣

[@misselizabethplays8070]

@@cestmon8475 "We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and read."

[@gasterthemaster6490]

@@misselizabethplays8070 ah yes, Ratatoing.

[@gotnocrabz]

Wow, I’m from the rgv and this church has always been too much. That pastor, preacher, wheeler dealer has been holding on to his hair since 05. Love the video breakdowns, I watch them with my wife.

[@supermomma634]

I would watch a 2 hour video of you reacting to the entire musical in a heartbeat

[@trashcantaloupe5402]

The funny thing is, many historians believe that the real Hamilton was bisexual, due to the nature of his letters to John Laurence

[@Luminous_Star_21]

Hamilton was literally my favorite musical. When I saw it the morning of when it was added to Disney Plus I finally understood why people enjoyed it so much. I watched this Scamilton production out of curiosity and got it was just bad. These poor kids clearly had no singing coach and the changes made to the musical was really unbearable. I was cringing the whole time watching it. But that damn Homophobic sermon at the end of the musical really pissed me off. I’m a closet pan romantic 20 year old woman who has already dealt with homophobia within the church I used to attend, I was told it was wrong to be Gay, Lesbian, Transgender etc. I was told people who are in the LGBTQ+ community were sinners and that they deserved to burn in hell. So you can imagine why I haven’t come out as PanRomantic yet. I’m honestly terrified to come out to my family. I’ve wanted to attend my local Pride parades but I never did due to that fear of being shunned by my family. Being apart of the Hamilton fandom has helped me through some of that fear and the people I’ve met through our shared love of this musical are wonderful and they accept me for who I am. I honestly home that this church gets into some trouble for lying about having the rights to preform Hamilton let alone change the lyrics and add and change scenes to fit their narrative.

[@lightbluechucks]

I think the kid who plays Aaron Burr can kinda sing. He sounded good on Wait For It. Someone please save him from wasting his talents in this hateful church!

[@421541Michee]

Believe more than ever that churches should be taxed

[@doefarris2189]

Imagine making a two and a half hour Hamilton knockoff to dunk on the gays, but ONLY in the opening and ending sermon and not even giving us a HamiltonxBurr hate-makeout scene, I've never been more offended, what a Scamilton indeed.

[@idong4329]

The worlɗ missed the chance To call this whole debacle "Shamilton"

[@noir_wolfe1099]

"If you are struggling with homosexuality-" I don't struggle with homosexuality actually, I'm quite good at it. Thank you. (Also this is really funny bc Alexander Hamilton, one of the main goddamn guys, was historically either bisexual or the fruitiest mf ever.)

[@FaeQueenCory]

"A church in Texas did Hamilton" wut 🤔🤔🤔🤔 "They changed the songs to include bigotry" Oh.... That makes more sense.

[@h0rriphic]

This is just such a weird idea in the first place. Who asked for a knock-off Hamilton? Exactly no one that matters. That's who.

[@runroorun_]

when the added pastor scene started playing my cat freaked out and started yelling and if that doesn't describe this production i don't know what does

[@ZoeAlleyne]

"It's a zoom interview this time" gave me the ugliest laugh

[@rockybeegaming]

The 🎵😩'tHe OrPhAnAgE' 😩🎵 made me laugh so much 😭😭😭

[@DavidMiller-cu2xq]

I can say as someone who grew up in mega churches that a good portion of that church budget is going to that drama department as the plays/musicals bring in heavy revenue

[@travistoronjo7452]

Went ahead with the thumb-up, partly because you’re an amazing content creator, but mostly because I’m deeply curious as to how many unauthorized rip-offs of hit musicals are out there for you to breakdown

[@rebekahjohnson5940]

It feels like Veggietales did successful but vague parodies of pop culture and Christian media looked at it and went “damn now I gotta get me some of that”. That Jenny Nicholson video really cemented that for me. I have a few personal anecdotes about this. If you ever listen to the music on the modern Christian pop radio stations, the styles are always a few years behind secular pop music. I went to a church camp and we had a star wars night. The thing is a lot of these people are still fans of other media, especially teens who are really deep in the Jesus juice. And they want to be creative but end up merging their two interests into a cheesy Frankenstein’s monster. It’s kind of like fan fiction in a way but with religion. Doesn’t make it good at all but yeah.

[@Vivian2043]

If I hear "But I'm not afraid" 100 times, I'll expect an "I know who I married" 100 times (and feel disappointed if they sing "My hope is in Jesus")

[@KitsuBrie]

This version was clearly made with the mindset that if I talk fast enough they won't hear the propaganda.

[@sophieje6039]

0:39 I will agree with you, Hamilton is pretty gay and we love it. BUT, the Owl House. That's like, the gayest thing on Disney+ The main character is bi, her mentor is bi her rival/lover is a lesbian, that rival/lover's mentor is aromantic (and possibly asexual but that was never confirmed). There's a nonbinary character in the show! All in canon, it's beautiful! Anyway I'm gonna keep watching now.

[@vivifoxysdaughterandchild544]

Never thought that Homophobic Hamilton would ever exist but here we are

[@ginarosemontarano2784]

I would love to watch the whole church rip-off version. Loving that they think that they can just replace words and lines in the painstakingly written and well thought out songs of Hamilton and nobody would have a problem with it. Also how did they get around the whole affair thing? Because that seems like it would be a huge issue for a church to show

[@-_-0.0-_-]

the compare/contrast at 9:50 with the table hitting and beat boxing was so stark. I don't love the original Hamilton (I love more avenue Q style musicals) but I still love the musicality, rhythm and power behind the voices and movements in the og musical. To see a bunch of hesitant performers attempting it with zero permission while changing it to make it more """"holy""""" is very cringey.

[@Resilient_Sage88]

I recently heard Hamilton might have had an affair with Lafayette. The irony is delicious in that case.

[@angelawossname]

Well he definitely had a relationship with John Lawrence. There are letters that prove it. Hamilton was agnostic at best, and grew up in an area where gay people were sent to as punishment, so he grew up around openly gay people. John Lawrence carried around a lot more guilt about his homosexuality, and suggested Hamilton get married in order to end their relationship.

[@11MissingPhoenix]

@@angelawossname Laurens*

[@angelawossname]

@@11MissingPhoenix Yep, you are right. I don't always notice what my bloody auto correct is doing, apologies.

[@TriforceOfWisdom86]

Omg I’ve been binging your videos for hours, they always make me smile. Thank you for all that you do!!!

[@Silvermoon424]

Just wanted to let you know I became a Patron yesterday! So excited to help support content like this ❤

[@ayakacrane8569]

Having volunteered in community theatres as a stage manager, i can't imagine how the production got greenlit. Major fail on the production manager, director and producers to name a few.

[@grandpa_IX]

i love that the closed captions for the clip breakdown intro reads as 'fluctuating tempo electronic music'. it makes me think of a DJ with mood swings.