Four-time Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh, currently staring on Broadway in Irena's Vow, has been announced as host of The Broadway Beauty Pageant, Broadway's third annual beauty contest, set for Monday evening, April 20th, 8p.m., 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 are Ana Gastayer (Saturday Night Live, Wicked), Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein), Charles Busch (The Third Story, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife) 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) and David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot), The Broadway Beauty Pageant's past winners, Frankie James Grande (Mr. Mamma Mia) and Marty Thomas (Mr. Xanadu), are also set 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.
For more info visit, www.aliforneycenter.org/beauty and www.symphonyspace.org.
