President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend the opening night of the Kennedy Center’s month-long revival of the hit Broadway musical Les Misérables next week.
The duo are expected to be accompanied by their respective wives, Melania and Usha, at the June 11 performance, according to Fox News.
“I love the songs; I love the play. I think it’s great,” Trump told the publication, suggesting that “we may extend” the show’s run.
The Republican, 78, has played the musical’s rebellion anthem, “Do You Here the People Sing?” at past events and rallies. The story revolves around revolution in France, and has been a massive smash for decades. Now, it’s being performed in D.C. months after Trump wrestled control of the center by firing the board and installing himself as chair.
“The Kennedy Center is coming back,” the president added, claiming: “It was not properly taken care of and we are taking it back and we are going to turn it back into something great.”
The forthcoming production of Les Misérables will be the Kennedy Center’s first since the Trump Administration’s controversial takeover.
Weeks after Trump’s return to the Oval Office, he fired the Kennedy Center’s leadership, putting MAGA loyalist Richard Grenell in charge of the famed Washington, D.C., peforming arts institution.
Instantly, several high-profile performers and members, including Insecure star Issa Rae, Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and singer-songwriter Ben Folds, resigned from their positions and canceled shows. The center saw a staggering 50 percent drop in ticket sales.
Trump and Vance’s scheduled Les Misérables attendance has sparked outcry from several key cast members and ensemble performers. At least 10 to 12 of them will reportedly boycott the performance.
“The cast was given the option to not perform the night Trump will be in the audience, and both major cast members and members of the ensemble are among those sitting out,” CNN reported last month.
Grenell, the center’s interim director, said that he was not aware of the alleged boycott in a statement to CNN, but added that the center will “no longer fund intolerance.”
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” Grenell said.
“In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience. The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other.”
