Music Musings: Broadway Stars Unite for Orlando at DNC

As if the contrast between last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland and this week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia weren’t already apparent, the DNC decided to highlight those contrasts with a literal choir of star power.

In a massive, moving tribute to Americans taken by gun violence in Orlando, 40 of Broadway’s biggest stars took over the DNC stage to sing a stirring rendition of the Hal David and Burt Bachrach classic, What the World Needs Now Is Love.

Here’s the scoop on all the stars from Adam Hetrick of Playbill:

Tony Award winners Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lena Hall, Alice Ripley, Ben Vereen, Tyne Daly, and Emmy winner Debra Messing are among the Broadway stars who delivered a moving performance of “What the World Needs Now” July 27 at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA.

The song concluded with chants of “Love!” “Love!” “Love!” from the starry lineup whose hands were folded into the shapes of hearts.

Also featured were Kristin Bell, Darren Criss, Stephanie J. Block, Adrienne Warren, Len Cariou, Richard Kind, Tom Wopat, Wilson Cruz, Michael Longoria, Rosie Perez, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Nicholas Callaway Foster, Olga Merediz, Michelle Collins, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Sharon Gless, Roz Ryan, Mary Ann Hu, Anika Larsen, Margaret Stallings, Eve Plumb, Montego Glover, Michael Urie, Carmen Cusak, Darius de Haas, Melissa Errico, Janet Metz, as well as Broadway for Orlando creators Van Dean of Broadway Records,Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley, and their daughter, Juli Wesley.

How beautiful it is when the worlds of music, entertainment and politics can join together for a cause greater than the sum of its parts.  Watch the moving video below, and have some tissue at the ready…