Check Out 10 Highlights From A NIGHT OF COVENANT HOUSE STARS - Audra McDonald, Meryl Streep, Dolly Parton & More!
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 19, 2020
Some of the brightest stars from Broadway and Hollywood came together last night, May 18, to celebrate Covenant House, the international charity providing housing, food and healthcare to children and youth facing homelessness in 31 cities across six countries.
The concert, titled A Night of Covenant House Stars, was co-hosted by 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (CBS' The Good Fight) and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent John Dickerson, and featured performances and appearances by Jon Bon Jovi, Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Rachel Brosnahan, Stephen Colbert, Martin Short, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie J. Block, Tony Shalhoub, Charlie Day, Chris O'Dowd, Zachary Levi, Zack Quinto, Morgan Freeman, Deborah Cox, Quentin Earl Darrington, Ariana DeBose, Darius de Haas, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Eden Espinosa, Jordan Fisher, Stephanie Hsu, Randy Jackson, Capathia Jenkins, Jeremy Jordan, Ramona Keller, Alex Newell, Karen Olivo, Dawn O'Porter, Laura Osnes, Benj Pasek, Jodi Picoult, Shereen Pimentel, Andrew Rannells, Keala Settle, Jake David Smith, Will Swenson, Bobby Conte Thornton, Ana Villafane, Frank Wildhorn, Broadway Inspirational Voices, Covenant House Youth and more!
Funds from the benefit concert are helping Covenant House COVID-19 relief efforts to provide more food, more supplies, and to continue to provide staffing to care for sick and symptomatic youth. To donate to #endyouthhomelessness, visit safeplacetosleep.org.
Check out 10 highlights from A Night of Covenant House Stars below!
Alex Newell & The Covenant House Choir Sing 'Lean on Me'
At the first-ever Broadway Sleep Out in 2013, a group setting up their sleeping bags on the hard concrete outside of Covenant House New York noticed that the residents in the building were looking down on them from their windows. A few moments passed and some waves were exchanged, and then one solo voice started singing, "Sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow..." A choir of voices broke out in song and completed the remaining verses with so much compassion and love.
"Lean on Me" has been a Covenant House anthem ever since, and 'A Night of Covenant House Stars' opened with a rousing rendition of the song arranged by Jason Howland.
Zachary Quinto Talks LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessnessness
Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning are 120% more likely to be homeless than their non-LGBTQ friends and classmates.
Actor Zachary Quinto, an advocate for LGBTQ rights, interviewed TaDae, a resident of Covenant House Georgia about the welcome he received there as a young gay man and the goals he hopes to achieve while living at Covenant House.
Ana Villafañe Sings the "La Alianza" Song
Since 1981, Covenant House's Casa Alianza (Spanish for Covenant House) programs have been providing shelter, protection and healing for children and teenagers in Latin America who are abused, abandoned, trafficked, addicted, or left to the streets. Their team in Latin America is a group of internationally recognized experts in children's human rights. In the face of poverty, neglect, and violence, they make it their mission to offer every child facing homelessness the absolute respect and unconditional love they deserve.
Inspired by the incredible work of our leaders in Latin America, Frank Wildhorn wrote the song "La Alianza" as a gift to all the children and teens at Covenant House sites in Guatemala, Hondura
The Cast of BKLN the Musical Reunite (feat. Diane Keaton & Meryl Streep)
In 2019, the talented cast of BKLYN: The Musical reunited for one night only for a 15th anniversary reunion concert to benefit Covenant House. The show follows a group of homeless musicians known as the City Weeds who transform a street corner under the Brooklyn Bridge into their play space.
The cast - Quentin Earl Darrington, Eden Espinosa, Ramona Keller Karen Olivo, Julie Reiber, Will Swenson, and Caren Tackett - reunited once again (virtually) to perform the show's anthem to empathy, "Heart Behind These Hands" Their performance was coupled with Covenant House alumni testimonials read by Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep.
Dolly Parton Sings 'Try'
Dolly Parton sent a heartful of love to Covenant House in this beautiful and emotional rendition of "Try," a song she wrote about giving yourself permission to try, even when it is scary or feels impossible.
Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes, and Bobby Conte Thornton Sing 'Your Song'
Jeremy Jordan, Bobby Conte Thornton, and Laura Osnes are three great examples of community members Covenant House can count on to show unconditional love and absolute respect to our youth, and they never hesitate to donate their time and talents to Covenant House. Singing "Your Song", their message to youth at Covenant House was clear. "My gift is my song, and this one's for you."
Stephanie J. Block Sings 'Not While I'm Around' to Her Daughter
Time and time again, Stephanie J. Block and her husband, Sebastian Arcelus, are the first supporters to reach out when disaster strikes, whether that means providing support in NJ after Hurricane Sandy or creating a campaign to supply Covenant House sites with immediate needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Not to mention they are Sleep Out champions!
At 'A Night of Covenant House Stars', Stephanie sang this Sondheim classic, "Not While I'm Around," to her beautiful daughter, Vivienne, and paid tribute to all of the pregnant and parenting youth and their children living at Covenant House during these challenging times.
Audra McDonald Sings 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'
From the moment Audra McDonald walked through the doors of Covenant House, she (and Covenant House) knew that a special bond would form. From her service as a board member to her participation in the Sleep Out, Audra is all in. She shows Cov Love through all of her actions and intentions, always thinking of our youth and how she can enrich their lives. Audra and her family are especially concerned about the well-being of our pregnant and parenting youth, and their generosity for the parenting youth in our care is boundless.
Audra played co-host for this year's 'A Night of Covenant House Stars' and she treated us to a fan favorite, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", before introducing the musical performance by Covenant House youth.
Shereen Pimentel Sings 'Somewhere'
While the pandemic forced schools, businesses, and countless social institutions across the globe to close and everyone to stay home and off the streets, it compelled Covenant House, with greater urgency and determination, to remain open. Covenant House was founded for emergencies-those experienced every day by young people facing homelessness. In nearly 50 years of service, their doors have never closed to them. They are committed absolutely to keeping their doors open to young people who turn to them for help, who have no one else to care for them in this time of crisis and in their time of crisis. They can't stay home because of COVID-19 if they don't have a home. Covenant House is that home, 24/7.
Shereen Pimentel, star of Ivo van Hove's Broadway production of 'West Side Story, sang the moving ballad "Somewhere" at 'A Night of Covenant House Stars' as a reminder that if you or someone you know is in need, there's a place for you at Covenant House.
Michael McElroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices Sing 'You Will Be Found'
Broadway actor, singer and music director, Michael McElroy, has been a friend of Covenant House for many years. In 2019, Broadway Inspirational Voices, which he leads, won a Tony Award for excellence in the theater and this year is celebrating 25 years of music and service.
This stunning BIV choir virtual arrangement of Pasek & Paul's "You Will Be Found" debuted at 'A Night of Covenant House Stars' as a gift to the young people at Covenant House who will rise and be found. More than 80 members of the BIV Choir contributed to this performance, many of whom are ongoing volunteers at Covenant House throughout the year.
To donate to #endyouthhomelessness, visit safeplacetosleep.org.
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