Anne Hathaway, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Porter, and More Lend Their Star Power to “Broadway Rallies For Harris”
There were no bad seats at The Town Hall in Manhattan’s Theater District for Monday evening’s buzzy Broadway for Harris mobilization event—and that’s not a fact that should go unnoticed. Shaina Taub, the Tony Award-winning mastermind behind Suffs, explained that the venue was originally designed by suffragists 100 years ago as a community place to discuss social matters of the day, ensuring the egalitarian layout had democratic ideals in mind.
“It’s a great metaphor for democracy, right? Everyone deserves just as good a seat as everyone else—everyone deserves to have their voices heard, valued, and respected,” Taub said, ushering in an epic night of emotive performances, heartfelt speeches, high B notes, and pop culture throwbacks.
“In case you didn’t know, I am voting for Kamala! Is anybody else here voting for Kamala?” a sequin-clad Anne Hathaway told the audience—marking the first time the two-time Oscar winner has publicly declared her stance. To really drive the point home, the actress performed a rendition of Queen’s “Find Me Somebody To Love,” some two decades after her first time around in 2004’s Ella Enchanted.
Mid-song, she paused to speak to the crowd and the thousands of people watching at home via livestream. “America, we have a big choice to make. You do have to make a choice—you do have to vote. Maybe you don’t have a candidate you love, but you have an issue you love. Maybe the somebody you love is you, well then you’ve got to vote for yourself.”
Another reason Hathaway was all riled up, was on behalf of her young son Jonathan—who was proudly watching his mom do her thing in her Proenza Schouler thigh-highs from the front row. Fellow mom on a mission, stage icon Audra McDonald, spoke passionately about her four children, whose future she’s also voting on behalf of, before serenading the Hall with a soulful and poignant version of the 1949 show tune “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” which she mashed up with Sondheim’s "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods.
You didn’t have to be an EGOT-worthy star to be included in the lineup (masterminded by director Schele Williams and music director Seth Rudetsky) for the on-stage rally or the virtual phone bank bonanza that had taken place earlier that day (where the likes of Idina Menzel joined volunteers for a ‘Kamala Dial-A-Thon’ to help make one million phone calls to voters) because there was no mistaking who got the loudest cheer and longest standing ovation on the night: US representative Jasmine Crockett.
“This race is tight,” the Congresswoman sighed. “Nevertheless, the reality is that there are people in this country who need us to deliver, so it’s important that all of us recognize our power. For a while, we’ve been made feel like we’re powerless, being told our vote doesn’t matter. But it really does. The power has always belonged to the people.”
It’s crunch time, she added. “If you have a group chat—infiltrate it, on behalf of the campaign. If you can’t go out and knock on doors, put something in there. A lot of your friends and family will listen to you before they’ll listen to a politician. Put out information and hit back on the disinformation and misinformation. Recognize your power.”
The event served to remind people of all the ways they can have their voices heard—and crucially, listen to those who are undecided, too. As actor Coby Getzug remarked, right now, we need people to donate their “time, treasure, or talent” to galvanize voters. Among the high-profile names who lent all three to the event were Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O Hara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Chasten Buttigieg (husband of Pete), Priscilla Lopez, Raúl Esparza, Stephen Schwartz, and even the First Lady of Minnesota, Gwen Walz, via livestream, sharing a sweet moment with playwright Todd Almond who she’s known since the latter was a teen in Nebraska.
What’s a night on Broadway without a little improv? Legendary performer Lillias White felt compelled to go off-script and sing "Home" from The Wiz at the top of her lungs, much to the delight of the packed house. Moments earlier, White and an ensemble had also surprised Congresswoman Crockett with a rousing performance of Aretha Franklin’s "Think." As Franklin’s music was so integral to the civil rights movement in the late 1960s, it was a fitting choice to ensure the word ‘freedom’ stays top of mind for the next three weeks.
Photo: Jenny Anderson1/13Anne Hathaway, Jasmine Crockett
Photo: Jenny Anderson2/13Whoopi Goldberg, Audra McDonald, Lillias White