Broadway Stars Take Gay Rights Fight To Washington
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Some Broadway stars were among the hundreds of thousands who were in Washington, D.C. last week to rally for marriage equality. NY1’s Frank DiLella was there are filed the following report.It wasn't an ordinary Saturday night this past weekend for the cast and crew of Broadway's “Hair.” After the curtain rang down and the dance party filed out, it was time for the company to bring the show's message beyond the walls of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre -- and into the streets of Washington, D.C.
The show’s producers canceled the Sunday matinee on October 11th, so that the “Hair” tribe could participate in the National Equality March and Rally.
“We're heading to D.C. to join the hopefully tens of thousands of people marching for marriage rights and equal rights across the board for the LGBT community,” said “Hair” actor Caissie Levy. “We really believe in the cause. It's part of our show; it's what we preach every night, and it's part of the Broadway community. And we have the mental and emotional support of all the other Broadway shows that have to do shows tomorrow afternoon; they are there with us in spirit.”
“This is exactly the kind of thing that “Hair” stands for, and to be able to walk out of the theater and get on a bus, and go to D.C. and actually make our voice heard in the corridors of power, it's ecstatic,” said the show’s producer, Oskar Eustis.
After the day’s second performance, the entire cast hopped on a bus, and it was off to D.C. Arriving in the nation's capital at about 3:30 a.m., the cast and crew zonked out for a few hours, and then it was good morning sound check!
After a quick run-through, the cast made its way to 15th and I Streets. There, cast members joined other New Yorkers from the theater community, including director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, composer Stephen Schwartz, and stage and film actress and activist, Cynthia Nixon -- all of whom were there to represent Broadway Impact, an organization made up of more than 1,400 New York performers and creative contributors who support equal rights for the gay community.
The organization was co-founded by “Hair’s” Gavin Creel.
“I'm really proud to say that the show I'm in now, “Hair” on Broadway, the Public Theatre, everyone has thrown their weight behind it -- the tribe, crew, band, everyone,” said the actor. “And we kind of led the charge in a way. But we are adamant to say it's not about “Hair,” it's about the community and the community responding to America. And even though we're marching, we're the only show that could get off today, our producers canceled the show -- bless them -- but even though we're marching, we're representing the entire Broadway community.”
“The spirit is one of togetherness,” Mitchell said. “That final step in equality for us, it's not worth arguing about, it just should be, and that's why we're all here together.”
“I want to see President Obama step up and do what he says he's going to do,” said Nixon. “All his ideas are right, he just needs to do it.”
“This is not about gay or straight, this is about civil rights and equal rights for all Americans,” added Schwartz. “I was too young to be a part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, but I'm proud to be a part of this movement. It should be equal rights for all Americans.”
And then it was time to march.
With an estimated 150,000 plus marchers present, there were few non-supporters. Following the two-mile march, the rally immediately followed. The speaker line-up included Cynthia Nixon, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Judy Shepard, and pop superstar Lady Gaga.
“I came here today to speak to my friends who have been marching all day,” said the performer. “This was a tremendously important day for me, and the most important point in my career so far.”
Finishing out the day, the cast of “Hair” took to the stage to sing the show's anthem. And while the day was highly attended, according to Creel, the fight is not over.
“Our next step is to go national,” he said. “We want to have a headquarters in New York, and then you know how the Christian Right has churches and they can immediately go to? We need to mobilize. And they have churches everywhere, we have churches that are theaters and we're going to organize in regional theaters, Lort theaters, summer stock theaters, and we're going to have little theatrical churches all over the country. So when we need to stand up as a community, the whole nation will stand up.”