BURSTFormer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a standing ovation during a surprise appearance at the Tony Awards Sunday night.
Clinton presented a musical number from the show, “Suffs,” which centers on the suffragists and the fight for women’s right to vote in the early 20th century. Clinton is a co-producer of the show.
Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president and former U.S. senator representing New York, thanked the audience for their warm greeting and delivered a message on the importance of voting.
“Now, I have stood on a lot of stages, but this is very special,” Clinton said. “And I know a little bit about how hard it is to make change.”
Clinton became the first woman to clinch the presidential nomination of a major party in the U.S. in 2016. She lost the general election to former President Trump, who is running again as the presumptive GOP nominee for president this year.
“I'm extremely proud of this original American musical by Shaina Taub, now two-time Tony winner. And, of course, it is about some American originals – the suffragists – who fought so valiantly for so long to give women in our country the right to vote,” Clinton said.
Taub wrote the book, music and lyrics for the musical. Earlier in the night, she won the Tony awards for Best Book and Best Original Score.
“It's almost impossible to think about what a challenge that was," Clinton concluded in her remarks. "But now it's an election year and we need to be reminded about how important it is to vote.”