Broadway's third annual beauty contest has been set: The Broadway Beauty Pageant will return Monday evening, April 20th, 8pm, at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th St.). The popular event is the annual benefit of New York's Ali Forney Center.
The Broadway Beauty Pageant, formerly titled Mr. Broadway, will feature male cast members representing their respective Broadway shows, competing for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. The contestants will go head to head in front of a panel of celebrity judges, but ultimately, the final vote is in the audience's hands. The judges include Michael Urie (ABC's Ugly Betty) and Seth Rudetsky (Rhapsody in Seth, Chatterbox, The Ritz).
The 2009 contestants are James Brown III (Mr. Little Mermaid), Adam Fleming (Mr. Wicked), Anthony Hollock (Mr. Hair), Tony James (Mr. Lion King), David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot), Jonathan Sandler (Mr. Mary Poppins) and John Selya (Mr. Guys & Dolls). The Broadway Beauty Pageant's past winners, Frankie James Grande (Mr. Mamma Mia) and Marty Thomas (Mr. Xanadu), are also to perform.
The Broadway Beauty Pageant is written and conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, with musical direction by Sonny Paladino. The evening is produced by Ryan J. Davis, Jeffrey Self and Wil Fisher in association with Tim Hur.
The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. They have grown quickly to become the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. They are committed to providing LGBT youth with safe, dignified, nurturing environments where their needs can be met and where they can begin to put their lives back together. The center provides short and long term housing in Manhattan and Brooklyn, plus free medical care, HIV testing, mental health services, showers, food, computer access and job training and placement at its drop-in centers in Chelsea and Brooklyn.
Tickets for The Broadway Beauty Pageant are available at SymphonySpace.org and are $50, $75 and VIP $150. Individual Sponsored tickets range from $250 to $1000.
Additional participants and Host will be announced shortly.
www.aliforneycenter.org/beauty
www.symphonyspace.org
