Stars in the House—the live-streamed concert series created by Playbill correspondent and SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley—presented an 11-hour telethon to raise money and awareness for those affected by the war in Ukraine March 26.
The stream, which can be viewed above, raised $139,000 for the International Rescue Committee's humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The total includes a $50,000 matching donation by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Hosted by Rudetsky and Wesley, there were appearances and live performances by Steve Martin, Billy Porter, Martin Short, Michael Douglas, Ben Stiller, Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Andrew Rannells, Piper Perabo, Chandra Wilson, Laraine Newman, Jane Curtin, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Annette Bening, Cynthia Nixon, Laurie Metcalf, Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O’Hara, Robin de Jésus, Josh Groban, Lindsay Mendez, Norman Lear, Rosie Perez, Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, Patrick Wilson, Miss Peppermint, David Hasselhoff, Rumer Willis, and John Stamos.
Co-host Wesley said, "There were so many highlights of the day and night, but I did have one favorite, which was meeting actor Oleg Karpenko, coming to us live from Odessa, Ukraine. He was funny and optimistic and had a better Texas accent than me…and I’m from there! When I wrote him after the show, saying I looked forward to meeting him one day in Ukraine, he wrote me back to say, 'I will be glad to meet you in person in my country or anywhere in the world as art knows no boundaries.' I couldn't agree more."
IRC President David Miliband added, "I want to express gratitude to everyone from around the world who tuned in and donated to the Stars in the House special 11-hour broadcast. A special thanks goes out to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for their $50,000 match to contributions made to support the International Rescue Committee. Your generous support helps the IRC be there for families in need in Ukraine and Poland. All the while, we are continuing our important work in more than 40 countries in crisis around the world and in 28 cities across the United States."
Other participating stars and activists included Rachel Bloom, Randy Rainbow, David Hyde Pierce, Donna Murphy, Annaleigh Ashford, Jessie Mueller, Lindsay Mendez, Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley, Rosie Perez, Patrick Wilson, Brittney Johnson, Miranda Sings (aka Colleen Ballinger), Debra Monk, Bonnie Milligan, Alli Mauzey, Donna Lynne Champlin, Javier Muñoz, Norbert Leo Butz, Katie Finneran, Ruthie Ann Miles, Andy Karl, Morena Baccarin, Christine Pedi, Colin Donnell, Dagmara Domińczyk, Santino Fontana, Judy Kuhn, Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams, Kevin Chamberlin, Jenn Gambatese, Sepideh Moafi, Danielle de Niese, Orfeh, Patti Murin, Susan Kelechi Watson, Yuriy Sardarov, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Dr. Jon LaPook, Melissa Gilbert and Tim Busfield, Nancy Dent, Dana Delany, Michael Cerveris, Douglas Sills, Lindsay Pearce, Tiler Peck, Celia Keenan-Bolger, David Hull, Heather Locklear, Andy Nyman, Kostya Kimlat, Abby Mueller, Paul Castree and Darius deHaas, David Phillips, Angie Swan, Maria Chilewicz, Andrea McArdle, Derek Klena, Shayna Steele, Tom Cavanaugh, Camryn Manheim, Milo Manheim, Jessica Vosk, and Marcia Cross, as well as Ukrainian artists Slava Babenkov, Eteri Chkadua, Elena Heimur, Andriy Milavsky, Anna Zhukovskaya, Rita Markova, and Katya Stanislavskaya.
Stars in the House launched March 16, 2020, and has raised more than $1 million to support The Actors Fund and its services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It has also raised funds for the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
New shows feature performances by stars of stage and screen, in conversation and song with Rudetsky and Wesley. Peter Flynn serves as streaming director.
Click here to watch previous episodes.
To make a tax-deductible donation to The Actors Fund, visit StarsintheHouse.com/Donate. To donate to the Ukraine crisis, click here.
