Get an inside look at the annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth Concert, held June 18 in Times Square. The event was hosted by Michael James Scott. See Rachel Webb, Lorna Courtney, Veronica Otim, and Kim Onah from & Juliet perform "Bigger" above.
The third annual outdoor concert, presented via 's Black to Broadway initiative, was free and open to the public. More than 25 Black artists performed from a dozen Broadway shows, including cast members from A Beautiful Noise, , , , , MJ, , , , SIX, , Sweeney Todd, and the upcoming Broadway revival of The Wiz.
The concert was filled with songs, dances, and spoken word performances, as well as a special musical number featuring kids from current and recent Broadway productions. See the Kids From Broadway perform "Be Optimistic" below.
The song list for the event is below:
- 鈥淟ift Every Voice & Sing鈥�: Performed by Rashad McPherson & The Juneteenth Celebration Band
- Spoken Word: 鈥淥n this Day of Freedom鈥� (Original Piece): Performed by Performed by William Rhem (from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
- 鈥淒ancin鈥� In The Street鈥� (Motown The Musical): Performed by Holli鈥� Conway Fields (from Six)
- 鈥淒on鈥檛 Rain On My Parade鈥� (Funny Girl): Performed by Hailee Kaleem Wright (from Six)
- 鈥淚 Know Where I鈥檝e Been鈥� (Hairspray): Performed by Tesia Kwarteng (from Camelot
- 鈥淏e Optimistic鈥�: Performed by Kids from Broadway
- 鈥淏igger鈥�: Performed by Rachel Webb, Lorna Courtney, Veronica Otim, and Kim Onah (from & Juliet)
- 鈥淎in鈥檛 No Mountain High Enough鈥� (Motown The Musical): Performed by Vanessa Sears & Aaron Nicholas Patterson (from New York, New York)
- 鈥淚 Am Light鈥�: Performed by Aaron James McKenzie (from A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical)
- Tap Dance Performance: 鈥淏lue Skies鈥� (Irving Berlin鈥檚 White Christmas): Performed by Richard Yoder (from Some Like It Hot)
- 鈥淐olored Woman鈥� (Memphis): Performed by Courtnee Carter (from Parade)
- 鈥淪hining Star鈥� (Hot Feet): Performed by Deandre Sevon (from A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical)
- 鈥淭he Bus鈥� (Caroline, or Change): Performed by Antoine L. Smith (MJ the Musical
- 鈥淪ittin鈥� on the Dock of the Bay鈥�: Performed by Miki Abraham (from Shucked
- 鈥淭here鈥檚 Always Something There to Remind Me鈥�: Performed by Kyrie Courter (from Sweeney Todd)
- 鈥淒ay O鈥� (Beetlejuice The Musical): Performed by James T. Lane (from Chicago
- 鈥淩iver Deep, Mountain High鈥� (Tina, The Tina Turner Musical): Performed by Kimberly Marable, Arian Keddell & Celina Nightengale (from Chicago)
- 鈥淎in鈥檛 It Good鈥� (Children of Eden): Performed by Crystal Lucas Perry (from Ain鈥檛 No Mo鈥�)
- 鈥淚f You Believe鈥� (The Wiz): Performed by Melody Betts (from The Wiz)
See Chicago's Kimberly Marable, Arian Keddell & Celina Nightengale Perform 鈥淩iver Deep, Mountain High" below.
The concert was directed by and music directed by Rashad McPherson. Brian Moreland and Aaliytha Stevens served as executive producers, with as stage manager and 's Devon Miller as general manager. Music was provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund.
Tony-winning director was honored with the 2023 Juneteenth Legacy Award. See Leon accept his award below.
鈥淐ongratulations to producer and Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (Some Like It Hot, Topdog/Underdog) as the recipient of the 2023 Juneteenth Legacy Award. We acknowledge his enormous contributions to Broadway which have resulted in staging powerful works that delve into Black storylines and star Black artists. Through his many endeavors, he has created opportunities for diverse voices to be heard,鈥� said Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin in an earlier statement.
鈥淏roadway Celebrates Juneteenth shines a light on the extraordinary contributions of Black creatives in the theatre community with a day of free performances and presentations showcasing the best of NYC talent,鈥� added Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo.
See host Michael James Scott rev up the crowd in the video below.
This year鈥檚 sponsors include United Airlines, M路A路C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), the NYC Mayor鈥檚 Office of Media and Entertainment, The Music Performance Trust Fund, , Open Jar Studios, and The Times Square Alliance.
