LOVE TRUMPS HATE! The Democratic National Convention turned into Broadway on July 27. Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel and more stars from the stage performed ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love,’ honoring those killed in the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
It was a who’s who of Broadway, as Kristen Bell, 36, Darren Criss, 29, Alice Ripley, 52, Ben Vereen, 69, Brian Stokes Mitchell, 58, Debra Messing, 47, and so many more united in one voice at the DNC. Idina Menzel, 45, performed along with Audra McDonald, 46, Rosie Perez, 51, and the two-dozen other stars, all who made their way to Philadelphia to pay tribute to those killed in the worst mass shooting in America’s history.
The legends of the Great White Way brought the entire congregation at the DNC to their feet, celebrating the idea of love trumping the hate in the world by holding hands and singing along. In fact, when the group took their final bow, they lead the room in a ferocious chant of ‘love trumps hate’ and held up hearts to honor of the 49 souls lost to Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016. It was touching beyond words.
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Backers of Bernie Sanders, 74, and Hillary Clinton, 68, supporters put aside their differences and came together as one party — as one country — showing those who were murdered inside the Pulse nightclub that they were not forgotten, and that America will make sure such a tragedy never happens again.
“What The World Needs Now Is Love,” was originally a hit for Jackie DeShannon, 71, in 1965, and it was the perfect song for the stars of Broadway to cover to show love to the LGBTQ community. 100% of proceeds from the song’s sale go to the LGBT Center of Central Florida, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Everyone wanted to do something as quickly as possible that would truly make a difference,” said SirusXM Radio Host Seth Rudetsky, one of the Broadway For Orlando organizers.
The single was a roaring success, rising to the #1 slot on the iTunes chart to knock out Justin Timberlake, 35, according to Playbill. It’s safe to say that he doesn’t mind. The single even made the Billboard Hot 100, and the music video of the recording has drawn over a million views in less than a month.
There have been some incredible performances at the DNC. Demi Lovato, 23, sang her song, “Confident,” after she gave a heartfelt speech about fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness. Alicia Keys, 35, closed out Day 2 of the DNC, uniting Hillary and Bernie supporters with the power of music.
What did you think about the Broadway stars’ performance, HollywoodLifers? What do you think about the song?