ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13-year-old Broadway star Joshua Turchin hosts 'Coronavirus Cabaret'

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

13-year-old Broadway star hosts 'Coronavirus Cabaret'

Sandy Kenyon reports on a young performer who has placed himself front and center online after his Broadway musical shut down along with all the other shows during the coronavirus pandemic.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A young performer has placed himself front and center online after his Broadway musical shut down along with all the other shows during the coronavirus pandemic.

Joshua Turchin, 13, calls his segment, "The Corona Cabaret," and he uses it to raise money for a non-profit group, The Actor's Fund. And he's featuring some superstar friends.

Laura Benanti is one of Broadway's biggest stars, but there she was on YouTube recently chatting pleasantly and even singing with Turchin.

"You are just really wonderful," she told him. "You give me a lot of hope."

Turchin is a professional performer who has been on stage since he was 7 years old.

"From a very, very young age, I've always had a passion for musical theater," he said from his home in Florida.

Before Broadway shut down, he lived in the New York City area, where he was in rehearsal for a new show called, "Trevor: The Musical."

He was part of a community of young performers.

"Not being able to see any of my friends and sing songs with them and just hang out with them, it's really hard," he said.

He has managed to find new meaning in the old saying that the show must go on, recruiting his friends for his "The Early Night Show - Virtual Edition (Corona Cabaret)" show on YouTube

His intention is simple.

"I wanted to show people that we're all in this together," he said. "We're all going through the same thing, and we should all be there for each other."

Some of the young performers, like Ava Ulloa, have parents working as medical professionals on the front lines of the pandemic.

"I'm really grateful to have a father who's risking his life every day," she said on Turchin's show.

The Early Night Show goes beyond music to look at how young people are coping with COVID-19 and the unusual times that have resulted.

"I get to see people from different perspectives and different backgrounds," he said. "And see how this event has impacted all of them."