President Trump is planning to celebrate his takeover of the Kennedy Center by attending a gala fund-raiser for the center in June featuring a performance of “Les Misérables,” one of his favorite musicals.
But the president’s night out at the theater is already drawing protests.
Several members of the “Les Misérables” cast are planning to boycott the performance, according a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity because the discussions were considered confidential. The cast was given the option not to perform as word spread that Mr. Trump planned to attend, the person said. The boycott was reported earlier by CNN.
Richard Grenell, whom Mr. Trump appointed as president of the Kennedy Center, said the center had not heard of any boycott.
“Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed,” he said in a statement. “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.”
He added: “The Kennedy Center wants to be a place where people of all political stripes sit next to each other and never ask who someone voted for but instead enjoys a performance together.”
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bond Theatrical, the agency overseeing the “Les Misérables” tour, issued a brief statement which did not address the question of performers opting out of the gala but said that the show would be performed “throughout our engagement at the Kennedy Center.”
Mr. Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, and his decision to purge its previously bipartisan board of Biden appointees, have prompted an outcry among many artists. Several prominent figures, including the actress Issa Rae and the musician Rhiannon Giddens, have canceled engagements at the center in protest. The musical “Hamilton” scrapped a planned tour there next year.
Mr. Trump is expected to take part in a fund-raiser before the performance of “Les Misérables” on June 11. An invitation offered a gold sponsorship level for $2 million, and a silver sponsorship for $100,000; both come with photo opportunities with Mr. Trump. “Les Misérables” is set to run at the Kennedy Center through mid-July.
Mr. Trump is a fan of Broadway musicals of the 1980s, including “Les Misérables,” “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.”
When the president visited the center in March, he opened a board meeting with a question: Which musical is best, “Phantom of the Opera” or “Les Misérables”?
Mr. Trump, who as a young man dreamed of becoming a theater producer, told the board that he had been informed that Broadway shows sell the best at the Kennedy Center, and pledged to present many of them, according to a recording of the board meeting that was obtained by The New York Times. And he praised musical theater performers.
“When you go to watch ‘Les Miz,’ when you go to watch ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ you know how great some of the talent is,” he said. “I’ve always said, no pop star has a voice like what you’re just hearing. I’ve always said they are, to me, the greatest talents. And that’s all they want to do. They don’t want to make movies. They don’t want to do anything. They just want to do eight shows a week, with a Wednesday matinee, right? And they’re tremendously talented people.”
While Mr. Trump’s vision for the Kennedy Center is still taking shape, he appears eager to fix up the building, which opened in 1971. A House committee approved a budget proposal last week that called for allocating $257 million to the Kennedy Center for capital repairs and other expenses, roughly six times the amount it usually receives from the government. The funding was requested by Mr. Trump, according to a statement by the committee.
Javier C. Hernández reports on classical music, opera and dance in New York City and beyond.
Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times.
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