The 19th Annual GYPSY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION announced a total of $3,927,000 had been raised by the over 64 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This beats the previous record of $3,420,000 set in 2004.
To date, the 19 editions of GYPSY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION have raised a combined total of $36,698,000 to benefit BC/EFA.
Tom Viola, executive director of BC/EFA, said, "I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for their truly generous, indeed heroic, efforts following the strike. There is no other community, no other business or industry, which has joined hands in a grassroots fundraising effort as the theatrical community has with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
"Together we have indeed made a difference in the lives of thousands: those in and out of "the business" who depend on the social services of The Actors' Fund; as well as over 400 food banks, health clinics and AIDS and family service organizations across the country who benefit from your generous fundraising efforts on behalf of BC/EFA."
This year's GYPSY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION started off with a special opening number in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the original Broadway production of West Side Story. The number, a medley of songs from the show, featured two time Tony Award winner, Chita Rivera (Anita) and her original West Side Story co-stars including Mickey Callan (Riff), Carol Lawrence (Maria), Ken LeRoy (Bernardo), Jamie Sanchez (Chino) and Reri Grist (Consuelo).
They were joined by cast members from the run of the 1957 landmark production including: Genii Charnin, Harvey Evans, Marilyn D'Honau, Alan Johnson, Gene Gavin, Ronnie Lee, George Marcy, Liane Plane, Martin Charnin, Grover Dale, Bill Guske, Ed Kressley, Sandy Leeds, Tony Mordente, Carole D'Andrea, Frances Davis, Lowell Harris, Julie Oser-McLeod, Noel Schwartz, and Gina Tricones. These legendary gypsies were joined by gypsies from currently running shows.
Reri Grist, who became a pioneering opera star in Europe following her time with West Side Story, closed this year's competition with a special version of the now classic ballad "Somewhere," a number she first introduced to the world in 1957 on the stage of the Winter Garden Theatre.
The original production of West Side Story, produced by Robert E. Griffth and Harold Prince, conceived and directed by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim opened on September 26, 1957 ran for 732 performances, closing on June 27, 1959. Mr. Robbins won the Tony Awardâ for Best Choreography.
The GYPSY OF THE YEAR opening number, which recreated the original Jerome Robbins choreography, was staged and directed by Joshua Bergasse with musical direction by Ben Cohn.
This year the Jersey Boys National Tour – "The Sherry Production" raised the most money of any show this period with $327,403!.
This year, 17 national touring shows raised together a record breaking $1.7 million, leading the way to this year's overall record breaking total!
THE GYPSY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION is the culmination of a period of intensive fundraising where New York's most talented "gypsies," chorus members from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, join in a competition/variety show as six weeks of intensive fundraising by the community come to a close.
This year's competition ended with the following dollar figures:
Broadway:
Second Runner-up Mary Poppins $120,888
First Runner-up Legally Blonde $171,058
