Trump to attend Les Miserables at revamped Kennedy Centre, where sales have fallen

WASHINGTON - Months after orchestrating a conservative takeover of the Kennedy Centre’s leadership, President Donald Trump will attend Les Miserables on June 11, his first show at the performing arts facility that has become a symbol of US cultural and political divides.

Mr Trump did not attend events at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts during his first term, but has taken a keen interest in it during his second.

Deriding it on social media for putting on “drag shows specifically targeting our youth”, he pushed out its former chairman, fired its long-time president and pledged to overhaul an institution he described as being in tremendous disrepair.

The fallout has been swift. The musical Hamilton cancelled plans to appear there, staff left and sales of subscriptions and individual tickets for Kennedy Centre shows have dropped, according to two people briefed on the data.

Overall subscription revenue was down 36 per cent to US$2.8 million (S$3.6 million) as at early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to one source.

Theatre subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the centre, were down 82 per cent.

A Kennedy Centre spokeswoman declined to comment about the facility’s sales.

The centre depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate.

“President Trump cares deeply about American arts and culture, which is why he is revitalising historic institutions like the Kennedy Centre to their former greatness,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

Mr Trump’s appearance at Les Miserables, a show about citizens rising up against their government, comes just days after he sent US Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles.

Mr Trump will sit in the presidential box overlooking centre stage, but he is not guaranteed a friendly reception in the 2,300-seat theatre.

When Vice-President J.D. Vance attended a Kennedy Centre show with his wife earlier in 2025, the crowd booed.

Supportive donors will be present, but tickets for the musical were available for purchase by the public as well, along with regular subscribers. The night is sold out.

Mr Trump’s appearance is meant to juice fundraising.

Donors who pay US$100,000 to US$2 million get to attend a reception before the show, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the theatre. Mr Vance is expected to attend as well.

The Kennedy Centre is turning the event into one on par with its signature shows, including the Kennedy Centre Honours, featuring a red carpet for high-profile guests with reporters and photographers in place.

Under the leadership of Mr Ric Grenell, a close ally of Mr Trump and former ambassador to Germany, the Kennedy Centre has sought to add more conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Mr Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Meanwhile, while Mr Trump zeroed in on drag shows when he said the Kennedy Centre had lost its way, multiple upcoming musicals include characters dressed in drag, such as Mrs Doubtfire and Chicago.

Other musicals have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Centre official. REUTERS