Tituss Burgess of 'Kimmy Schmidt' Sings "Somewhere" to Honor Orlando Victims

Monday evening outside of the Stonewall Inn in New York City, actor Tituss Burgess offered up a West Side Story classic to honor the victims of Sunday's shooting in Orlando, Florida. 

"At times like this, I find myself at a loss for what to do," he told the crowd of thousands. "You feel helpless. I'm going to give you the one thing I always have readily available." That thing was a song. 

He immediately burst into a rendition of West Side Story's "Somewhere," while the crowd alternated between in stunned silence and wild cheers when the actor the song's high notes.

Burgess' was a welcome gay voice at Stonewall's podium, which he shared with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Nick Jonas, whose presence and "well-intentioned but incoherent" speech, as Mic's Kevin O'Keeffe described it, confused a large portion of the crowd.

The song adds to a host of musical tributes to the 50 confirmed dead in the shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub. Gay choirs in New York City, Los Angeles and Orlando all offered songs of their own Sunday and Monday, tapping into a long tradition of such groups offering healing and solace in the wake of homophobic violence.

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