September 11th, a Broadway Tribute
On this day we remember all those who were killed in the terror attacks in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, PA. Nineteen years later, of the 2,753 who perished at Ground Zero, 1,111 people have yet to be identified.
The tragedy and uncertainty in America that day turned the lights of the Great White Way dark, much as the current threat to our nation has darkened Broadway again today.
But in the spirit of American resilience and survival and the eternal theatre mantra of “the show must go on,” theOUTfront pays tribute and remembrance with these songs.
Six-time, Tony Award winner, Audra McDonald gives a stunning rendition of “I’ll Be Here” from the musical, Ordinary Days by Adam Gwon. It’s a testament to the power of love and chance encounters to change our lives.
Before Come From Away arrived on Broadway in 2017, it was already known as the “9/11 musical” stirring more than angst for those in NYC who had lived through that day. Based on actual accounts of people on the 38 aircraft diverted to the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, it became the surprising, inspiring, feel good, musical.
It is a story about the best of us coming out when we come together in a crisis, thinking of the good of others and the good of all, first. Whether you are a person of faith or not, “Prayer” is a profound message of unity, healing, and hope.
“Prayer” is based on “The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi”
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.”
As we pay tribute to the fallen on 9/11, it is worth remembering Fr. Mychal Judge. He was a gay, Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who spent his life ministering to the homeless and the LGBT Community, especially during the AIDS crisis. As Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, Fr Judge was killed at Ground Zero, becoming the first certified fatality of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
And finally from Billy Porter
