From Street Corner to Stage

It’s not every day that once-homeless kids get to perform on a Broadway stage with the likes of Diana Ross looking on from the wings. But this is just the dream that the “A Night of Broadway Stars” event realized for 12 young people involved with Covenant House, a homeless-youth assistance organization with facilities in 21 U.S. cities. On June 2, a collection of Broadway stars and a handful of city youth who are pulling themselves through tremendous hardship gathered at the Hudson Theater at New York City’s Millennium Hotel. Stars such as Rita Harvey from The Phantom of the Opera, Natalie Toro from Les Miserables, Capathia Jenkins from Dream Girls and Darius de Haas from Kiss of the Spider Woman performed on stage with the talented youngsters. The host, composer Neil Berg, is known for his work on The Prince and the Pauper.And don’t forget Diana Ross, Tony-Award winner and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who lent her support to the young performers backstage. At least, that is, when she wasn’t busy presenting a donation check to Covenant House. The evening, after all, was a charity fundraiser for the organization. All proceeds are to be directed toward housing, feeding and helping homeless youth in all sorts of ways. Covenant House provides medical attention, vocational and education opportunities, drug abuse treatment and prevention and crisis intervention for kids living on the streets.These kids have been through a lot, but the show — as always — must go on.