Washington, D.C. — A growing rift between the performing-arts community and President Donald Trump is set to play out onstage next month: at least ten members of the national touring company of Les Misérables say they will refuse to perform when the President attends a Kennedy Center fund-raiser on 11 June.
According to production staff familiar with the decision, both principal actors and ensemble members have opted out of the evening after being given a one-time choice by producers. Although understudies will cover the absent performers, the boycott delivers a public rebuke of the President’s recent takeover of the Kennedy Center’s board and artistic direction.
Since assuming the board chairmanship in February, Trump has dismissed several Biden-era trustees, appointed conservative media figures—including Laura Ingraham—and installed former ambassador Richard Grenell as the Center’s director. He has pledged to overhaul programming with what he calls “non-woke” classics, frequently citing Les Misérables, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera as examples.
The changes have already sparked high-profile resignations. Writer-producers Issa Rae and Shonda Rhimes stepped down from leadership posts, and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller cancelled the blockbuster show’s upcoming engagement.
A self-professed fan of musical theatre, Trump has often praised Les Misérables, even using its anthem “Do You Hear the People Sing?” during the 2016 campaign—a move condemned by the show’s creators. In a March visit to the Center, he vowed to revamp the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony to spotlight “less radical” figures and promised sweeping renovations to the venue.
The fund-raiser, expected to draw major donors and Republican lawmakers, will include a pre-show reception and a special performance of Les Misérables. With several lead actors now sitting out, producers face an unusual challenge: deliver a seamless show while navigating a public dispute between cast and commander-in-chief.
Industry observers say the boycott underscores widening ideological divides in the arts. “Artists have always used the stage to express dissent,” notes one D.C. theatre analyst. “A visible absence on a night like this sends as strong a message as any curtain speech.”
For the Kennedy Center, the incident marks another flashpoint in a turbulent season—one that may influence future touring companies deciding whether to appear at the nation’s pre-eminent arts institution while it is steered by a sitting president with distinctly partisan tastes.
Whether the boycott sways broader public opinion or donor behaviour remains to be seen, but the episode signals that political drama at the Kennedy Center is far from over—and, at least for one night, the barricades of Les Misérables may stand as more than mere set pieces.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
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