Madonna was extremely distracted when she went to see Hamilton on Broadway, which at least one star of the hit show thought was pretty rude.
Anthony Ramos, who played John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton’s son Philip in the show, still recalls how Madonna spent “the whole time” staring at her iPad. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live Thursday night, it was top of mind for Ramos when Andy Cohen asked him who was the “most terrifying celebrity to spot in the audience” when he was in Hamilton.
Ramos answered, “It was Madonna with her iPad in her face,” as he imitated her posture by staring down at his lap. “She was like this the whole time. I was like, ‘Damn, shawty. If you’re not enjoying it that much, you know the door’s right there. You ain’t gotta stay here!’”
The “Like a Prayer” singer attended the off-Broadway show in April 2015, after which she immediately drew criticism for paying more attention to her device than to the show.
Tony-winning show creator Lin-Manuel Miranda posted to Twitter at the time, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou.” Though Miranda didn’t name the celebrity in question and later deleted the tweet, others also complained about Madonna’s brightly lit screen during the show’s first and second acts.
“That time you want to smack #Madonna upside the head for texting during the best show I’ve ever seen. #HAMILTONpublic,” wrote one patron at the time. She’d also reportedly showed up late.
A rep for Madonna denied that Miranda’s tweet had been about the pop icon in a statement to US Weekly: “It’s not true. She was invited backstage four different times. She texted post show when they were doing their fundraising pitch. Madonna had already made a generous donation.”
