President Trump’s favourite musical is, famously, “Les Misérables,” however few followers have been storming the barricades to get into the Kennedy Heart this season.
The Washington Publish reviews that gross sales for the present season of music, dance and theater on the Washington, D.C., cultural establishment have declined dramatically because the president’s inauguration and his subsequent takeover of the Kennedy Heart’s management.
The Publish cites information displaying the Kennedy Heart has offered solely 57% of its tickets from September to mid October, a lot of that are believed to be comped giveaways. That contrasts with a 93% ticket sale price via the identical interval final yr.
The venues surveyed embrace the Opera Home, the Live performance Corridor and the Eisenhower Theater, with performances by the Nationwide Symphony Orchestra, touring Broadway musicals and dance troupes. Out of 143,000 doable seats for the present season, 53,000 haven’t but offered. When followers have purchased tickets, they’ve spent lower than half as a lot cash from September to the primary half of October 2025 in contrast with the identical time final yr — the bottom complete since 2018 apart from the peak of the 2020 pandemic.
After Trump’s election, he appointed Republican diplomat and former State Division spokesperson Richard Grenell to steer the Kennedy Heart, whose board elected Trump as its president. The brand new management fired a number of longtime staffers, and distinguished board members and leaders like Ben Folds left the group.
““I couldn’t be a pawn in that,” Folds informed The Occasions. “Was I alleged to name my homies like Sara Bareilles and say, ‘Hey, do you need to come play right here?’”
Artists that do carry out on the Kennedy Heart have famous a change within the viewers. Yasmin Williams, a singer-songwriter who carried out in September after a contentious e mail trade with Grennell, mentioned that “Throughout my Kennedy Heart present on Thursday night time, a gaggle of Tr*mp supporters boo’d me once I talked about Ric Grenell and appeared to be there to intimidate me,” but “taking part in that Malcolm X video in that house and forcing this present administration to reckon with the harm they’ve induced, whereas additionally selling pleasure and the ability of music to the viewers … for this reason I do what I do.” (Kennedy Heart spokesperson Roma Daravi informed the Publish that “That is a fully ridiculous declare.”)
Grennell, for his half, mentioned on X that that “We’re doing the massive issues that individuals need to see. We’re seeing an enormous change as a result of individuals are recognizing that they need to be part of one thing that’s common sense programming.” In August, Trump introduced his picks for Kennedy Heart honors, together with actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, glam-rockers KISS, singer Gloria Gaynor, nation music star George Strait and English actor and comic Michael Crawford.
