Hamilton 10th anniversary screenings spark theatre etiquette debate

The popular, award-winning musical Hamilton has been released in theatres to celebrate its 10th anniversary - but the screenings have sparked debate among fans.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and lead actor in the production of the life story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, announced the exciting news in a promotional video where he urged fans to "turn up" and "have so much fun".

That being said, the release was not officially billed as a "sing-along" event, with no subtitles to accompany the musical numbers.

This appeared to spark confusion among cinemagoers, with some opting to sing along to the tunes anyway, sharing their confusion at why no one else was joining in. Meanwhile, others expressed their annoyance at people singing along, and it even led to people being asked to be quiet and warnings from the theatre staff.

This matter soon moved to social media, where people were sharing their experiences and opinions of the particular screening they attended.

"POV: you seen Hamilton in theaters and it wasn't what you expected," TikToker @ksaniii wrote, as she added in the caption, "IM SO MADDDDDDDDDDDDDD I SHOUKD HAVE WENT TO NEW YORK FOR THIS."

"Update, we decided to f***ing leave," she said in the video and explained it was because "we were singing the songs and nobody was singing the songs."

The video has over 13.6 million views, as the debate continued in the comment section, citing Miranda's words.

On the one hand, you had those agreeing with the creator that singing should be an expectation at a musical screening.

"Didn’t Lin Manuel Miranda specifically say to sing in the theatre??????" one person asked.

A second person added, "Why the hell are you going to watch Hamilton in theaters to stay silent?!? The fun of the musical is singing along with it!!!"

"BEFORE the movie starts in theatres, Lin literally says sing your hearts out & TURN UP," a third person commented.

A fourth person posted, "Lin literally said turn up and they not turning up!?"

On the other hand, you had those who believed it's best to let the performers do the singing, especially since it wasn't billed as a sing-along event.

One person said, "It wasn't a sing-along..."

"It’s a performance, not a concert," a second person wrote.

A third person shared, "Unless it's a sing-along... It's normal theatre etiquette to be quiet so everyone can watch the play properly."

"Respectfully, I don’t wanna hear people off-tune singing in a movie theatre. I paid for the movie, not other people’s voices," a fourth person commented.

This wasn't the only viral video as creator @samspound shared the "Hamilton drama" at the screening she attended, where theatre staff paused the film due to viewers singing along.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but like I said, this is not a sing-along," one member of staff said.

They later made another announcement during the intermission, which the TikToker shared in a follow-up video.

"We were not given any memos about this bit at the beginning that told people they could sing," the staff member can be heard saying, who noted "we have no official statement on it."

"You can sing, but please keep it to a minimum, no running around the theater, screaming, yelling."

At one point, another cinemagoer can be heard interjecting, "You guys are louder than the theater itself"

This video has 1.3 million views, with people remained divided as ever on the topic.

"Bro literally Lin himself wants you to sing and have fun. That was the whole point," one person said.

A second person added, "How are you going to see Hamilton and NOT sing?"

"To be fair, if it was a sing a long wouldn’t the lyrics be on the screen? Yes the actors said to turn up, sing a long, have fun etc. Doesn’t mean you have to sing to enjoy it," a third person posted.

A fourth person commented, "This is the third video I've seen where everyone is talking about singing in the theater. That's 100% not what I signed up for, I don't need to hear one damn person who is not from the musical singing lol. It's not advertised as a sing-along"

This isn't the first time theatre singing etiquette has sparked online debate, as this came up when the movie musical Wicked was released in cinemas last year. was released in cinemas last year.

Elsewhere, Women sneak away into the night as part of hilarious 'Hamilton' trend, and Cynthia Erivo weighs in on controversial Wicked debate.

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