Champagne, Teary Audiences and Awestruck Stars! On the Scene at the World Premiere Reading of 8

There weren’t any singing Mormons at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on September 19. Instead, the stage was lined with two rows of black directors chairs, standing ready for the slew of Hollywood and Broadway A-list stars who came together for the world premiere benefit reading of 8, by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black.

Condensing the three-week 2010 trial to overturn California’s anti-gay-marriage Proposition 8 into a 90-minute play, Black and director Joe Mantello tapped John Lithgow as Ted Olson and Morgan Freeman as David Boies (the lead attorneys who brought the Prop 8 case to trial), facing off against Bradley Whitford as bumbling defense attorney Charles Cooper. The play, which was commissioned by the non-profits Broadway Impact and American Foundation for Equal Rights, is comprised of dialogue taken directly from the trial, plus video clips of some of the more laughable pro-Prop 8 commercials that aired in California at the time.

The impressive lineup of more than 20 performers (ranging from Lithgow and Anthony Edwards to Rob Reiner and Ellen Barkin) were greeted with warm applause from the well-heeled crowd (who shelled out $500 a ticket, with proceeds benefitting the marriage equality cause) the second they stepped on stage. The enthusiasm rarely waned as the cast often found themselves having to pause to accommodate the vocal support of the crowd.

“It was epic,” cast member Yeardley Smith, best known as TV’s Lisa Simpson and a recent vet of off-Broadway’s Love, Loss and What I Wore,” said shortly after arriving at the reading’s after-party at Gotham Hall. “I think maybe once or twice in your life you get a sense that you’re actually changing history, and you could just feel the swell of support from the audience.”

In an evening filled with powerful performances, many singled out Lithgow’s final summation of the trial’s evidence (in which he points out that even the defense’s key witness admitted citizens would become more American once marriage equality became the law of the land) as the highlight of the night. “John Lithgow made me cry,” said Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling star Christine Lahti, who played Kris Perry, one half of the lesbian couple who sued the state of California to overturn Prop 8. “His speech was amazing.”

Broadway Impact co-founder and Book of Mormon Tony nominee Rory O’Malley agreed, noting, “As a member of the cast I didn’t really know if I was allowed to start clapping, but I couldn’t stop myself from shouting ‘Yes!’” he says of Lithgow’s tour-de-force moment. Lithgow’s take on the scene? “I don’t think Ted [Olsen] had ever heard his own words said with such a flourish,” the actor joked, adding, “There’s nothing but good will about this evening.”

The night had a special significance for Broadway veteran Cheyenne Jackson, who recently tied the knot himself with longtime boyfriend Monte Lapka. “Newlywed life is good,” he said. “We’ve been together for 11 years so we didn’t know if it’d feel any different, but it does. We feel more settled and closer to each other.”

Olsen, Boies, Perry and several of the other trial participants in attendance, who were brought onstage at the end of the show, expressed excitement at meeting the actors portraying them. “It’s great to have somebody like Morgan Freeman play you,” Boies said. “The only scary thing is my clients are now going to say ‘I’d rather have that guy represent me’…and I wouldn’t blame them!”

Even some of the actors admitted they were a tad starstruck. “I’m not one to normally geek out, but there was literally too much going on not to,” said White Collar star Matt Bomer, who played Prop 8 trial plaintiff Jeff Zarrillo. “It’s such an honor to be a part of this exciting piece of theater, and everyone brought their best to the material.”

While Lithgow and others were able to socialize with their real-life counterparts, one significant character was understandably absent. “Poor guy,” Whitford said with a laugh referencing Prop 8 supporter Cooper. “I noticed he didn’t show up! I live in California and, growing up in theater, some of my best friends were gay so I have no fucking patience for [Cooper's stance].”

With a strong political mood in the air, the party guests were eager to celebrate. “Champagne, Champagne, Champagne!” Broadway Impact co-founder and Tony nominee Gavin Creel humorously barked upon entering Gothan Hall's dimly lit ballroom. Despite the triumphant tone of the night, many were quick to note that the end of the fight for marriage equality is still a ways off. “We’re celebrating the fact that Prop 8 was struck down, but we’re still disappointed that it’s still not yet possible for us to get married [in California],” said Perry. “But tonight we’re having a great time and keeping our eye on the prize.”

After the one-night-only Broadway performance, 8 will become available for university and community theaters across the country. “Theater lives on Broadway, let’s be real,” Black said of deciding to premiere the play in New York rather than in Prop 8’s home state of California. “I love Los Angeles, but if you’re going to do a play, you want to do it here and take advantage of great theater actors. I wish this cast could follow the show from college to college, but I’m glad people are finally going to be able to hear what happened inside the trial, and I hope that word continues to spread.”