Bruce Sabath Releases "Beautiful City" Video In Honor Of Biden Inauguration

Actor Bruce Sabath (Company, Cagney, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish) celebrated the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris by producing an uplifting music video of the song "Beautiful City" from the Stephen Schwartz musical Godspell. The video features Sabath in locations around New York. Also featured are photographs of New York City, submitted by Sabath's colleagues and fans, who responded to a mention of the project on social media.
Watch the video here

"So many of us were frustrated by the words and actions of the prior administration over the last four years," said Sabath. "The pandemic has been just the icing on this rancid cake - separating us, tormenting us, and taking loved ones from us. Today's inauguration represented a fresh start and an abundance of hope and possibilities for all of us."

"The song 'Beautiful City' was originally from the 1973 movie version of Godspell. In that context, the song was an upbeat, joyful celebration. But this summer, I saw the Berkshire Theatre Group production of Godspell , the first Equity-approved musical since theatre was shut down in March. It incorporated the song as somber ballad, and I heard it in a new light - as a return to a devastated, ravaged landscape, but with a conscious decision to move forward with hope and to rebuild. It seems like the perfect sentiment for this moment, in America and here in New York."

The video is also a tribute to the theatre community, featuring scenes in a deserted theatre district. "I wanted this piece to honor my friends and colleagues in the theatre community, which has been devastated by the global pandemic." said Sabath.

"We were the first industry to shut down in March, and we'll be among the last to return to 'normal.' Even so - as everyone knows - so many theatre artists have continued to create and share and inspire others. I hope that this new administration brings with it support for our community as we begin to see the end of this crisis."

"Beautiful City - the video" was conceived, produced and performed by Sabath, with Dan Micciche (Music Director of Broadway's Wicked) providing the solo piano accompaniment. Sabath's wife Karen Sabath served as location videographer. Still photographs were provided by over a dozen actors, dancers, directors, producers and fans.

Bruce Sabath played Larry in the last Broadway revival of Company (the 2006 Tony-winning revival directed by John Doyle, starring Raul Esparza). He recently played Lazar Wolf (and sometimes Tevye) in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed by Joel Grey. Sabath has long been an active supporter of BCEFA.

He led the seasonal Red Buckets fundraising at Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, which was the highest-raising off-Broadway show in fall 2018, spring 2019 and runner-up in the fall of 2019. Sabath, a long-distance runner, was also integral in the growth of one of BCEFA's newest events, Broadway Run, which raised over $100,000 in the fall of 2019, and nearly $82,000 in this August's virtual 5K.

Sabath is also the founder of "Broadway Goes Viral" (@BroadwayGoesViral), a site on Instagram and Facebook, which allows stuck-at-home Broadway and Off-Broadway performers to share their irrepressible talents and uplifting energy with stuck-at-home theatre lovers during the COVID19 pandemic. Broadway Goes Viral also served as a fundraising platform for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, raising thousands for BCEFA's COVID19 Emergency Assistance Fund. @BroadwayGoesViral paused operation after the murder of George Floyd, but Sabath hopes to resume the project in these hopeful times.

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