NEWS

Broadway stars announce Inauguration Day concert

By Eric Renner Brown
Entertainment Weekly
January 16, 2017

As Donald Trump’s inauguration draws closer, numerous Broadway stars have announced the “Concert For America: Stand Up, Sing Out!” The New York charity event will showcase “the diversity and hope that is America at its best,” according to its website.

The roster for the gig — slated for Manhattan’s Town Hall at 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 20, just three hours after Trump is sworn in — brims with Tony Award winners, including Chita Rivera, Kelli O’Hara, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Betty Buckley, Jessie Mueller, and Billy Porter. The lineup also features Sharon Gless, Andrea Martin, Bebe Neuwirth, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez, Lillias White, Judy Gold, Caroline Rhea, Stephanie Mills, and Charles Busch, among others.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit Planned Parenthood, NAACP, Sierra Club Foundation, Southern Poverty Law Center, and National Immigration Law Center.

As Trump struggles to book performers for his inauguration — Toby Keith and 3 Doors Down are among the highest-profile names his team has booked — plenty of celebrities have confirmed appearances at anti-Trump events. Katy Perry, Chelsea Handler, and more will appear at the Women’s March on Washington scheduled for Jan. 21. Last week, Common and the National announced they’ll stage a D.C. protest show on Jan. 19 to benefit reproductive health and social justice. And musicians including Angel Olsen and Mitski will extend the protest well past Inauguration Day via the “Our First 100 Days” singles subscription series.