Broadway Star Beth Leavel Celebrates Major Biden in Song Written for PETA Inaugural Party
For Immediate Release:
January 12, 2021
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
PETA is not letting recent events prevent it from welcoming the First Dog and prospects for animal protective legislation with a drive-in inaugural eve party that will celebrate Major, the first “first dog” (FIDO) to be adopted from an animal shelter—and Tony Award–winning Broadway star Beth Leavel (of The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom, and more) is joining in with an exclusive song all about adoption and how to play safely with a rescued dog. President-Elect Biden famously had to wear a walking boot after tripping over Major.
With lyrics by Tony Award–winning composer Lisa Lambert and music by Adam Overett, the song—“Rescue Dog Major Biden’s Tips for a Safe Playtime Experience”—pokes a little lighthearted fun at the president-elect, who fractured his ankle in November while playing with Major: “If you take a bad fall / you’ll be wearing a boot / when you play with your rescue dog!”
“The Broadway community has been hit hard by COVID-19, so PETA is honored to have these Broadway powerhouses join us in welcoming the new administration and wishing for a brighter future,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Despite the bullies who attacked our hometown of D.C., we’ll be raising spirits, commemorating those who have been on the front lines during the pandemic, and pushing for compassion for animals across all party lines.”
The event—which is by invitation only—will be hosted by Edward James Olmos and feature stories about past FIDOs and the presidents who loved them, a screening of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, and special digital appearances from members of Congress who have helped advance animal protection, from proposing a ban on trophy-hunting imports to getting the military to replace animals in trauma-skills training with sophisticated human-simulation technology.
Guests will enjoy a multicourse vegan menu that includes vegan shrimp rolls with gochugaru sauce, crispy sweet potato chips, coconut “bacon” tartlets, vegan maple-glazed chicken drumsticks with lemon-parsley beurre blanc, piping hot cider, caramel-topped chocolate mousse, and much more—plus plenty of vegan peanutty treats for dogs! Guests aged 21 years and older will also receive “doggie bags” packed with everything needed to carry on the celebration at home with a vegan hot toddy, including bottles of the oak-finished Maker’s Mark 46 bourbon (for the 46th POTUS), “bee-free” honey, cinnamon syrup, and even a lemon.
Attendees are invited to bring donations of supplies, such as dog food, bedding, and toys, for PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—to distribute to disadvantaged dogs this winter, as shown in the documentary Breaking the Chain, produced by Anjelica Huston.
PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
