Trish2 said: "Wonderful, yes. But how did they get that together so darn fast?"
It started with James Wesley's idea to do something, anything, for Orlando. He and Seth Rudetsky brought it to Van Dean while we were in the middle of recording You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Monday. Could we do this charity single of "What the World Needs Now?" Of course – who can we get to be on it? We all started making calls to people we knew, sending emails. Getting the space, musicians, producer Michael J. Moritz Jr. and Michael Croiter, engineer, everything donated. Blake Rossand Playbill jumped in to help in any way possible – everyone wanted to do something. Now, keep in mind, this is less than week after the Tony Awards, and everyone just wants to wind down and do their show because the last six weeks have been non-stop madness. I designed the quickest artwork ever just so we could make a deadline to announce. Press releases bounced back and forth as more people said "Yes – this is something I need to be a part of!" Friends in Broadway shows came between their two-show day to lay down chorus and solo lines. A mighty chorus of 70 Broadway stars – dozens of Tony Awards between them – gathered and sang "What the world needs NOW is love, sweet love..." Legends like Chita Rivera and Bernadette Peters, newer stars like Carmen Cusack, Renée Elise Goldsberry, pop crossovers like Sara Bareilles and Carole King (who gave Seth a note correction), the current King of Broadway Lin-Manuel Miranda – they all came together to help. This community that I've looked up to all of my life. They sang, they joked, they ate copious amounts of generously donated food... they were all so happy to see each other, and to be a part of this. I am so grateful, and lucky, to be in this industry, where these people come together to make beautiful healing music for a really amazing cause. Today is a day I will never forget. It stands shoulder to shoulder with #PlaybillPride as one of the greatest effots I've had the joy and fortune to work on. #BroadwayForORLANDO
Updated On: 6/15/16 at 10:05 PM
