WASHINGTON >> Five Democratic senators, including Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, staged a gay pride concert at a small theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday night as a form of symbolic protest against President Donald Trump鈥檚 takeover of the institution.
The event, which was held before an invited audience, featured performances by Broadway artists including Javier Munoz, a 鈥淗amilton鈥 alum who sang 鈥淪atisfied鈥 from the hit musical. Many of the songs and monologues were rife with LGBTQ+ themes, including one penned by Harvey Fierstein.
Other performances included Brandon Uranowitz鈥檚 singing 鈥淲hat More Can I Say?鈥 from 鈥淔alsettos,鈥 and Beth Malone鈥檚 rendition of 鈥淎n Old-Fashioned Love Story鈥 from 鈥淭he Wild Party.鈥 That song鈥檚 composer, Andrew Lippa, performed a song from his oratorio 鈥淚 Am Harvey Milk鈥 alongside the Gay Men鈥檚 Chorus of Washington.
The 90-minute concert was called 鈥淟ove Is Love,鈥 a slogan used by the gay rights movement and quoted by 鈥淗amilton鈥 creator Lin-Manuel Miranda when his show won at the Tony Awards in 2016. It was produced by Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of 鈥淗amilton,鈥 who recently canceled a planned 2026 run of the musical at the Kennedy Center, saying he did not want to support Trump鈥檚 vision for the venue.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light,鈥 Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, who hosted the concert, said in a statement. 鈥淭he LGBTQ community has long embodied this resilience, maintaining joy and creativity in the face of adversity.鈥
Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February after purging its previously bipartisan board of Democratic appointees and replacing them with his allies. He denounced its programming as too 鈥渨okey鈥 and promised to usher in a 鈥淕olden Age in Arts and Culture.鈥
The senators, who exercised a prerogative extended to members of Congress to rent space in the center, chose this week for the event because June has long been when the gay community has celebrated Pride Month. They rented the Justice Forum, a 144-seat lecture hall in the Reach, part of a recent Kennedy Center expansion project.
Trump, in a departure from previous presidents, has not acknowledged Pride Month, and some of his actions in recent months have prompted concern in the LGBTQ+ community. Since his takeover of the center, several groups have canceled events there, saying they no longer feel welcome.
Richard Grenell, whom Trump installed as president of the Kennedy Center, has defended the center鈥檚 approach and rejected the idea that it has shown antipathy toward LGBTQ+ groups. Grenell, one of the most prominent gay appointees serving in the Trump administration, has accused the left of intolerance and expressed dismay about Pride celebrations in general.
In a news conference before the concert, Hickenlooper said that he had spoken with Grenell on the phone in the afternoon, describing him as 鈥渁gitated鈥 but not 鈥渦nreasonable.鈥
鈥淗e did say right at the beginning, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檙e not going to cancel it,鈥欌 Hickenlooper said. 鈥淪o it didn鈥檛 go perfectly. But I do think this is where it belongs. We had a backup theater in case things went awry, if it went off the tracks completely.鈥
In a statement posted on social media during the show, Grenell expressed disappointment about the event and said he had agreed to rent the space to Hickenlooper for what the senator鈥檚 team had called 鈥渁 first annual talent show.鈥
鈥淣o one has been canceled by the Kennedy Center,鈥 Grenell wrote. 鈥淲e welcome everyone who wants to celebrate the arts, including our compatriots on the other side of the political aisle. We especially welcome artists and audience members who come to the Kennedy Center not for partisan political pranks but to experience excellence in the performing arts.鈥
Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts joined Hickenlooper at the event, which was also hosted by Schatz.
The show was directed by Seth Rudetsky and his husband, James Wesley Jackson, who have organized other concerts for social and political causes. (Rudetsky accompanied the performers on the piano during the show.)
Hickenlooper reached out to Seller a few weeks ago, asking if he wanted to engage in some 鈥済uerrilla theater,鈥 Seller said in an interview before the event. It was meant, Seller said, 鈥渢o celebrate gay characters, gay culture, gay music and gay pride.鈥
鈥淭his is our way of reoccupying the Kennedy Center,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is a form of saying, 鈥榃e are here, we exist and you can鈥檛 ignore us.鈥 This is a protest, and a political act.鈥
The show on Monday ended with a group rendition of 鈥淥ne Day More鈥 from 鈥淟es Miserables,鈥 one of Trump鈥檚 favorite shows and one that is running at the Kennedy Center. This version changed some of the lyrics to poke fun at the president, including the line, 鈥淲hy is this his favorite show?鈥 while some performers held rainbow-colored Pride flags on the stage.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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