Broadway is Sending Love to Orlando
The Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic What the World Needs Now has been recorded hundreds of times since Jackie DeShannon made it a hit in 1965, but I doubt any of those renditions could have the power and emotion of the recording made on June 15 in New York City. On that day, members of the Broadway community came together to record the song in an effort to help the loved ones and victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting. The participating artists include legendary Broadway stars like Chita Rivera and Joel Grey as well as recent Tony winners Lin-Manuel Miranda and Renée Elise Goldsberry. Other faces – and impressive singing voices – we’d more quickly recognize from their television roles include Sean Hayes, Kristen Bell, BD Wong, and Wayne Brady. Regardless of the “who,” the “why” is the reason to listen to this performance. And when you buy the recording, from iTunes or Broadway Records, 100% of the profits will go to the LGBT Community Center of Central Florida (“The Center”). – Linda Donovan