Chita Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thalía will headline a benefit digital concert in October to celebrate Latino culture and achievement in theater
By
MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
August 27, 2020, 2:00 PM
• 2 min read
NEW YORK -- Chita Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thalía will headline a benefit digital concert in October to celebrate Latino culture and achievement in theater.
“Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices” will be held online Oct. 1 and will be hosted by Andréa Burns. It will be directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo.
“It's going to celebrate the past. It's going to pay attention to the present and look to the future,” said Trujillo, who said the themes will explore Latin representation, inclusion and diversity.
Additional attendees include Lucie Arnaz, Melissa Barrera, Jaime Camil, Florencia Cuenca, Raúl Esparza, Mandy Gonzalez, Raúl Gonzalez, Ivan Hernandez, Ariana DeBose, Mauricio Martinez, Bianca Marroquín, Shereen Pimentel, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Philippa Stefani, Angélica Vale, Robin de Jesus and Ana Villafañe.
The concert will be broadcast on Playbill.com, Playbill’s YouTube Channel and on The Broadway League’s Viva.Broadway website. Proceeds will support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Bridges.
“It is sad that we all don't get an opportunity to be in a room together, but we get to have them all in one concert, all at once,” said Trujillo, who won a Tony Award last year for “Ain’t Too Proud.”
The event will include performances from members of the original cast of the Broadway musical “In the Heights” — including Karen Olivo, Andréa Burns, Janet Dacal, Olga Merediz, Carlos Gomez and Luis Salgado — as well as performances from Broadway-bound musicals, a peek at John Leguizamo’s next work and a look at the first Spanish-language production of “A Chorus Line.”
“This is a great medium for us to get our message across and create a really exciting virtual concert,” said Trujillo. “It's going to be a really thrilling experience.”
