A bevy of stars from some of Broadway’s hottest shows are expressing their gratitude this holiday season with a tender musical performance.
In the above video, “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr. joins Tony nominees Carolee Carmello and Gavin Creel for an acoustic take on Supertramp’s “Give a Little Bit.” Creel’s “Book of Mormon” co-star Nikki RenĂ©e Daniels and Kara Lindsay of “Wicked” also lend their voices, accompanied by “Swing Awakening” star Alex Boniello on guitar and Dante Melucci of “School of Rock — The Musical” on djembe.
Directed by Broadway veteran Andrew Keenan-Bolger, the video is intended as an informal thank you to supporters of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA), which is dedicated to raising funds for HIV/AIDS-related causes across the U.S.
Keenan-Bolger, who returns to Broadway next spring in the musical adaptation of “Tuck Everlasting” and is the co-creator of the theater-centric web series, “Submissions Only,” cited BCEFA’s longtime support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as part of his incentive to helm the video.
He was also instrumental in getting Creel on board for the project, which is the first live music video to be produced by BCEFA and features arrangements by music director Ted Arthur.
“My joining in was simple,” Creel told The Huffington Post in an email. “Andrew called and said the words ‘Broadway Cares,’ and I just said, ‘Yes!'”
He then added, “What I love about being in the theater is the sense of family and belonging to a community that takes care of one another. We are made better by giving back.”
What a joy to see such warm sentiments expressed in music!
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