Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julia Roberts and more stump for Hillary on Broadway
Hillary Clinton clearly has the Broadway vote.
An impressive number of stage and screen stars came out Monday night for a splashy “Stronger Together” fundraiser supporting the Democratic nominee for president and put on quite a show for the donors.
Hosted by Billy Crystal, the lineup at Broadway’s St. James Theater included performances and speeches by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Hamm, Hugh Jackman, Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren and Neil Patrick Harris -- plus voice recordings by Barbra Streisand.
While Hillary herself couldn’t make it -- though she addressed the crowd via a video message -- Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton were in attendance.
Tickets ranged from $45 to $2,700, with special packages that included an afterparty for top donors going for $5,000. The event was also live-streamed on Hillary’s Facebook page.
Some of the more impressive performances included a duet of “Tomorrow” from Annie” by Parker and Andrea McArdle, Josh Groban singing “Over the Rainbow” and Anne Hathaway and Kelli O’Hara doing a medley of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Some songs -- including a selection from “How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying” -- were chosen to poke fun at Hillary’s opponent, Donald Trump.
Crystal also took aim at Trump, comparing his campaign to hurricane season. “Think about it,” he said. “It starts with a lot of hot air spinning out of control. It hits America, causes a lot of damage and panic, but it’s completely over by November.”
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Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo closed out the show with a gospel-tinged “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” But before that, Miranda and his “Hamilton” co-star Renee Elise Goldsberry stepped up for a show-stopping reworking of the Tony-winning musicals material.