{"id":2446089,"date":"2025-06-11T17:32:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T21:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kennedy-center-responds-to-trump-protesters-the-show-must-go-on\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T17:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T21:35:20","slug":"kennedy-center-responds-to-trump-protesters-the-show-must-go-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kennedy-center-responds-to-trump-protesters-the-show-must-go-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Center responds to Trump protesters: \u2018The show must go on\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkennedy-center-responds-to-trump-protesters-the-show-must-go-on%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2446089&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>on teh opening night of the musical &#8220;Les Mis\u00e9rables&#8221; at the Kennedy Center, a political and cultural clash arose due to the expected attendance of former President Donald Trump, prompting protests. Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi asserted that the performance would proceed despite the protests, emphasizing that &#8220;the show must go on.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Reports indicated that several cast members planned to boycott the performance in protest of Trump&#8217;s leadership and policies. However, Daravi noted the strong support from ticket holders and expressed confidence in the production&#8217;s success. this marked Trump&#8217;s first visit to the Kennedy Center as he restructured its leadership, which has faced criticism, especially from the arts community. <\/p>\n<p>Despite dissenting voices, the Kennedy Center has experienced strong ticket sales and public support under its new direction. Future programming has shifted to include a mix of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/broadway-star-suddenly-quits-us-musical-about-tiananmen-massacre-while-on-tour-in-china\/\" title=\"Broadway star abruptly leaves US ... on Tiananmen Massacre during China tour.\">broadway hits<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >family-amiable shows<\/a>, aligning with Trump&#8217;s vision for the institution. Daravi highlighted the Kennedy Center&#8217;s thriving status, countering negative media portrayals, and announced that nearly all performances of &#8220;Les Mis\u00e9rables&#8221; were sold out.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kennedy Center responds to Trump protesters: &lsquo;The show must go on&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2140888\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>On the morning of opening night for the Tony Award-winning musical <em>Les Mis&eacute;rables<\/em>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kennedy-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kennedy Center\">Kennedy Center<\/a> found itself at the center of political and cultural tension. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/protests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"protesters\">protesters<\/a> expected to rally against President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s attendance, Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi delivered a clear message: the performance would proceed undeterred.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The show must go on, and the show is certainly going on,&rdquo; Daravi <a href=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/oconnor-and-company\/roma-daravi-on-les-miserables-at-the-kennedy-center#sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said \">said <\/a>during an appearance on <em>O&rsquo;Connor &amp; Company<\/em>, a Washington-based morning radio program on WMAL.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3438048\/bob-costas-maga-media-condemns-news-outlets\/\">Bob Costas condemns news outlets for becoming &#8216;MAGA media&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/3435985\/ballerina-john-wick-universe-review\/\">Ballerina is a brutal, stylish cash grab. It&rsquo;s worth your money<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3436045\/dnc-launches-show-youtube-spot-for-truth\/\">DNC launches daily YouTube show as &#8216;go-to spot&#8217; for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dnc-launches-daily-youtube-show-as-go-to-spot-for-truth-amid-internal-party-struggles\/\" title=\"DNC launches daily YouTube ... as \u2018go-to spot\u2019 for truth amid internal party struggles\">truth amid internal party struggles<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In May, reports emerged that at least 10 to 12 cast members from the production were<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3404937\/kennedy-center-denounces-rumored-les-miserables-boycott-trump-visit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> planning to sit out the June 11 performance<\/a> in protest of Trump&rsquo;s appearance. According to sources familiar with the situation, performers &mdash; both leading actors and ensemble members &mdash; were allowed to opt out of the show that evening due to objections over the former president&rsquo;s policies and the Kennedy Center&rsquo;s reorganization under his leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Responding to rumors of planned walkouts and reported backstage dissent over Trump&rsquo;s presence, Daravi downplayed the controversy and emphasized the overwhelming support from ticket-holders.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a top-tier production,&rdquo; she told hosts Larry O&rsquo;Connor and Julie Gunlock. &ldquo;And despite the noise outside, the seats are filled. The patrons are here. It&rsquo;s a big night for the Kennedy Center and the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/oconnor-and-company\/roma-daravi-on-les-miserables-at-the-kennedy-center\/embed?style=Cover\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Roma Daravi on Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center\"><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s attendance at <em>Les Mis&eacute;rables <\/em>marks his first visit to the Kennedy Center since he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3314840\/trump-appoints-himself-chairman-kennedy-center-board\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">named himself chairman of the board <\/a>earlier this year, following a full restructuring of the institution&rsquo;s leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Daravi likened the evening to a major film premiere, noting that the red carpet was open to all attendees, not just VIPs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very special evening &mdash; like a big Hollywood premiere,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And every ticket-holder is part of it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Kennedy Center&rsquo;s leadership, now under President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/richard-grenell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Richard Grenell\">Richard Grenell<\/a>, has faced criticism from some in the arts community. <\/p>\n<p>In May, Broadway icon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3424692\/richard-grenell-patti-lupone-blow-up-kennedy-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Patti LuPone sparked outrage<\/a> by reportedly telling the <em>New Yorker <\/em>that the &ldquo;Trumpified&rdquo; Kennedy Center &ldquo;should get blown up.&rdquo; Her remarks drew condemnation from Grenell, who responded sharply in an interview with the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The far Left has morphed into violent extremists,&rdquo; Grenell said. &ldquo;This is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-grenell-slams-broadway-stars-call-to-blow-up-kennedy-center-condemn-these-radicals\/\" title=\"Richard ... slams Broadway star\u2019s call to blow up ...: \u2018Condemn these radicals\u2019\">completely unacceptable &#038;mdash<\/a>; from the same people who claim to be for tolerance and diversity. Everyone should condemn these radicals.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>LuPone, 76, made the comment while criticizing Trump&rsquo;s restructuring of the Kennedy Center board. According to <em>New Yorker<\/em> writer Michael Schulman, LuPone repeated the explosive statement &ldquo;more than once.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Kennedy Center has shifted its artistic direction since Trump&rsquo;s reorganization of the board and Grenell&rsquo;s appointment as president.<\/p>\n<p>In a Truth Social post, Trump pledged to &ldquo;make the Kennedy Center great again,&rdquo; promising to remove programming he claimed promoted &ldquo;divisive ideologies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The new season reflects that vision. The Kennedy Center&rsquo;s 2025&ndash;26 lineup includes Broadway hits such as <em>The Outsiders, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Monty Python&rsquo;s Spamalot,<\/em> and <em>Back to the Future: The Musical<\/em>, alongside children&rsquo;s programming such as<em> Bluey&rsquo;s Big Play<\/em> and<em> Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3416408\/kennedy-center-programming-expansion-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>KENNEDY CENTER EXPANDS BROADWAY AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOWS IN TRUMP ERA<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Kennedy Center reports strong ticket sales and renewed donor interest under its new leadership. According to Daravi, nearly all performances of <em>Les Mis&eacute;rables<\/em> in its five-week run are sold out.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing overwhelming support from the public,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Contrary to what some in the media suggest, the Kennedy Center is thriving. And tonight is just the beginning.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2140888\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2140888\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kennedy Center to Trump protesters: &#8216;The show must go on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2446090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/df114d911590b15031bdfeecca3538af-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[10757,50057,7980,13066,56977],"class_list":["post-2446089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arts","tag-kennedy-center","tag-performance","tag-resilience","tag-trump-protesters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/df114d911590b15031bdfeecca3538af-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446089"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2446098,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446089\/revisions\/2446098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2446090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}