This past Sunday, what is now considered the worst massacre in the 21st century, occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida as 49 people were killed and 53 injured by a man entering the club and opening fire with an assault rifle. This tragedy affected friends and relatives of the victims and moved some of Broadway’s biggest names to come together and raise money/support for the LGBT community. Broadway and Hollywood stars will dedicate their talent to record (cover) 1960’s hit, “What the World Needs Now Is Love” by Jackie DeShannon.
The talent includes a full orchestra and some of the following participants: Sara Bareilles, Roger Bart, Kristen Bell, Wayne Brady, Matthew Broderick, Michael Cerveris, Gloria Estefan, Sutton Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Joel Grey, Sean Hayes, Heather Headley, Megan Hilty, Bill Irwin, Carole King, Jane Krakowski, Nathan Lane, Zachary Levi, Andrea Martin, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Rosie O’Donnell, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Perez, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Lillias White, Marissa Jaret Winokur, BD Wong. You can also view the People magazine cover tribute to the victims here.
On Sunday night, as theater artists celebrated this season’s achievements on Broadway at the 70th annual Tony Awards, some addressed the tragedy in several interviews, social media posts, and speeches. Here are some of the acknowledgments from a few of the song’s A-list stars:
The newly arranged song track will be available on Monday at BroadwayRecords.com. All of the proceeds will go to the LGBT Center of Central Florida. The song is currently available for preorder at $1.99. Join the rally for love as Broadway once again bands together as advocates of love and unity–two institutions shared and displayed widely among performers in tragic times–reminding us that what the world needs now is love.
Here’s a little preview!
