Michelle Obama hosts a Broadway event to help educate girls

“When people hear stories of girls who aren’t in school, they want to help. And as spouses of world leaders, so many of us here in this room have a platform that we can use to tell these stories and bring people together to take action for these girls. Because people will pick up the phone when we call,” Obama said.

The event, emceed by TV talk show host Stephen Colbert, took advantage of the gathering of world leaders in New York for the opening of the 71st United Nations General Assembly. More than 50 spouses attended, along with public school children and girl scouts who packed the theatre.

Colbert joked that Michelle Obama is one of the most admired women in the world “despite her constantly telling everyone to eat their vegetables.” She hit the stage to a thundering ovation.

Remarks also were made by three girls from Jordan, Pakistan and Malawi about the work in their home countries still needed for adolescent girls, as well as songwriter Sara Bareilles, Jordan’s Queen Rania, and Gertrude Mutharika, the first lady of Malawi.

Bareilles, who wrote the songs “Brave” and “Love Song,” helped create the musical “Waitress,” the first-ever Broadway musical with an all-female creative team. She joked that she didn’t even notice that at first.

“What a gift that was — that I was given an opportunity to be so seen and so empowered and so trusted and so reflective of my environment that I actually for a moment forgot to notice how rare it was,” Bareilles said.

“That is my wish for girls all over the world: That they get the chance and the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the world around them.”

The 90-minute event included the 2016 best actress Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo singing a powerful “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple,” Jennifer DiNoia and Carrie St. Louis singing “For Good” from “Wicked,” the performers Charity Angel Dawson, Stephanie Torns and Jenna Ushkowitz singing “A Soft Place to Land” from “Waitress,” and a medley of songs by Carole King led by Chilina Kennedy.

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Online: https://letgirlslearn.gov/

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Michelle Obama hosts a Broadway event to help educate girls

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