During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with host Andy Cohen, Hamilton star Anthony Ramos shared a memorable encounter from his Broadway days, recalling the time he spotted Madonna in the audience—for all the wrong reasons. When Cohen asked Ramos who the most “terrifying” celebrity was to see in the crowd during his Hamilton performances, Ramos didn’t hold back.
“The most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face,” said Ramos, 33, mimicking the pop icon’s distracted posture as she held a tablet throughout the show. The Material Girl singer, 66, appeared unimpressed by the performance, according to Ramos, who played the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the hit musical. “I was like, ‘Damn, shorty.’ I’m like, ‘If you’re not enjoying it that much, you know, the door is right there,’” Ramos recalled thinking. “You ain’t got to stay here.”
The incident took place in April 2015, when Madonna attended a performance of Hamilton at The Public Theater’s intimate Newman Theater during its off-Broadway run. According to a report by Playbill, Madonna’s behavior was far from courteous. Sources revealed that the singer arrived late and repeatedly used her phone during the first act, with its bright glow disrupting the experience in the cozy theater. Her distractions continued into the second act, drawing further attention.
The lack of theater etiquette didn’t go unnoticed by the Hamilton team. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s creator and star, took to Twitter at the time, writing in a now-deleted post, “Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou,” per Playbill. As a result, Madonna was not invited backstage after the performance, a rare move for a celebrity of her stature.
Representatives for Madonna did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Hamilton, which debuted off-Broadway in early 2015, became a cultural phenomenon, with Ramos earning praise for his portrayal of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, the son of the titular character played by Miranda. Ramos left the production in November 2016 to pursue other projects, including starring roles in films such as In the Heights, Dumb Money, and Twisters.
The story of Madonna’s Broadway blunder serves as a reminder that even global superstars are expected to respect the unwritten rules of theater etiquette. For Ramos and the Hamilton cast, it was a moment they won’t soon forget.