TV: Cast Announced for BROADWAY BACKWARDS 2013- Estelle Parsons, Judy Kaye, Bruce Vilanch, Stephanie J. Block & More!

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center announced today that the eighth annual edition of BROADWAY BACKWARDS will feature Academy Award winner and four-time Tony nominee Estelle Parsons (Nice Work If You Can Get It), two-time Tony Award winner Judy Kaye (Nice Work If You Can Get It) and two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian Bruce Vilanch.

The one-night-only performance will be held Monday, March 18 at 8 PM at Broadway's Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway). BROADWAY BACKWARDS is produced by Broadway Cares and will benefit BC/EFA and the Center.

This year's BROADWAY BACKWARDS also will include performances by Tony nominees Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange), Anita Gillette (Chapter Two, TV's 30 Rock), and Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Drama Desk Award winners Jose Llana (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Jim Brochu (Zero Hour), Ward Billeisen (Anything Goes), Stephanie J. Block (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid), Robert Creighton (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Kyle Dean Massey (Wicked). Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

"I'm so grateful that each year, by attending BROADWAY BACKWARDS, more people support these two incredible causes that bring hope and support to so many every single day," said Robert Bartley, the show's creator. "It's hard to believe it all started so simply eight years ago. We merely wanted to reinterpret some of the great songs of musical theatre in a way that would be meaningful for a gay and lesbian audience. And this year, we're doing that on the stage of the historic and fabulous Palace Theatre. That's a dream!"

Bartley will again direct and choreograph. Amy Jones serves as co-choreographer.

Tickets are available exclusively at broadwaycares.org or by calling 212.840.0770, ext. 268. Prices start at $75.

VIP tickets include premium seats and a special post-show party with the cast. A limited number of "Backstage & Beyond" ticket packages also are available, which include the opportunity to see the dress rehearsal, exclusive backstage access, a "meet and greet" with some of the stars of Broadway Backwards, premium seats for the show and more.

BROADWAY BACKWARDS is an annual celebration where gays and lesbians see their stories told through the great songs of musical theatre, sung by their favorite Broadway performers. BROADWAY BACKWARDS began as a grassroots concert performed at the Center in 2006. In subsequent years, the event grew quickly, performing Off-Broadway, then on Broadway for the last four years.

The presenting sponsor of BROADWAY BACKWARDS is Lifetime Networks with generous support from The New York Times and United Airlines.

ABOUT BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $225 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.

For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/BCEFA, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/BCEFA, watch us on YouTube at youtube.com/BCEFA, and pin us on Pinterest at pinterest.com/BCEFA.

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