BC/EFA's 27th Annual GYPSY OF THE YEAR Competition Brings in Over $4.7 Million

A huge congrats to BC/EFA, which just announced GYPSY OF THE YEAR's outstanding grand total of $4,786,239 after six weeks of fundraising efforts! Broadway's BOOK OF MORMON brought in the top funds, and KINKY BOOTS took "Best Presentation" at the event.

The grand total was revealed to thunderous applause by special guests Michael Cerveris (Fun Home), George Takei (Allegiance) and Julie White (Sylvia) following two festive afternoons of performances on December 7 and 8, 2015, at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre, home to Disney's Aladdin. More than 150 of the most talented singers and dancers in the ensembles of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows performed original dances, songs and skits to the cheers of standing-room-only audiences.

Since 1989, the 27 editions of GYPSY OF THE YEAR (#GypsyOfTheYear) have raised $67.3 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Cerveris, Takei and White also presented awards to the top fundraising companies and for the best performances in this year's show.

Here's the breakdown of this year's fundraising champions:

Broadway (Musical)

Top Fundraiser The Book of Mormon ($313,857)

1st Runner-Up Hamilton ($271,666)

2nd Runner-Up Jersey Boys ($264,374)

3rd Runner-Up Beautiful - The Carole King Musical ($168,955)

4th Runner-Up Kinky Boots ($161,242)

Broadway (Play)

Top Fundraiser The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ($78,258)

Off-Broadway (Play or Musical)

Top Fundraiser The Humans ($34,122)

National Tours

Top Fundraiser The Book of Mormon - Latter Day ($344,643)

1st Runner-Up Kinky Boots ($290,339)

2nd Runner-Up Wicked - Munchkinland ($284,399)

3rd Runner-Up Beautiful - The Carole King Musical ($191,901)

4th Runner-Up Newsies ($159,915)

The company of Kinky Boots took honors for best onstage presentation for a freestyle rap led by the show's newest star, Wayne Brady, and surprise guest rappers Christopher Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda from this season's Broadway sensation Hamilton. The trio showed off their improvisational chops, topping each other in a rap based entirely on words spontaneously provided by the audience.

The cast of The Lion King was runner-up with a gripping number created by Ray Mercer. Through carefully staged acrobatic movements set on graffitied wooden boxes and inspired by the spoken-word poetry of cast mate L. Steven Taylor, Mercer cast a cautious eye at society's obsession with social media and self-image.

Seth Rudetsky, host of "Seth's Big Fat Broadway" on SiriusXM and co-writer and star of the upcoming Broadway musical Disaster!, made his eighth annual appearance as Gypsy of the Year 's master of ceremonies. Once again his masterful "deconstructions" of Hamilton, Annie's "NYC" and Barbra Streisand's "He Touched Me" were a highlight of the afternoon.

GYPSY OF THE YEAR, opened with the tap-happy journey of a stage manager, played by Ryan Kasprzak, who reluctantly ditches his headset and clipboard to step into the spotlight as a last-minute replacement. He ultimately leads an ensemble of 20 exuberant tappers in an uplifting number, set to Walk the Moon's energetic "Shut Up and Dance." The opening number was directed and choreographed by Al Blackstone, assisted by Morgan Rose, with music direction and arrangements by Ben Cohn.

Finding Neverland's Laura Michelle Kelly led "We Can Be Kind," a poignant response to the recent escalating unrest at home and abroad, featuring a chorus of kids from the companies of Finding Neverland, Fun Home, The King and I, Kinky Boots, LES MISERABLES, The Lion King, Matilda The Musical and On Your Feet!.

Also in this year's GYPSY OF THE YEAR:

- Hamilton provided a contemporary and emotionally charged a cappella version of their show's "Wait for It," in tribute to victims of inequality and injustice around the world.

- Finding Neverland teased their own show about a boy who never grows up while skewering critics who welcomed the now hit musical with less than glowing reviews.

- The Book of Mormon cast members, dressed as holiday carolers adorned with red AIDS awareness ribbons, offered a tightly harmonized arrangement of "Smile," first made famous by Nat King Cole.

- Cast members of An American in Paris, dressed all in white and elegantly accompanied by an onstage pianist and violinist, performed a dream-like contemporary dance, inspired by the quote: "Let peace fall like the first hint of snow covering all things negative, and remind us that change comes with every season."

- The cast of Chicago turned lawyer Billy Flynn's signature number, "All I Care About Is Love," into a high-energy funk jam featuring James T. Lane as James Brown, the show's latest celebrity guest star.

- The company of The King and I offered a twisted take on the show's "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" by spinning it into a tale of today'spresidential politics complete with a dance battle between Hillary Clinton and "the wicked Donald of the greed."

- In an admirable attempt to keep its biting humor topical, the long-running Avenue Q, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2004, called an emergency cast meeting to update lyrics to some of its best-known songs.

- The kids of Fun Home let loose their inner rock stars transforming their show's "Ring of Keys" into a head-banging homage to the just-opened production of School of Rock - The Musical, which opened Sunday at the Winter Garden Theatre.

- Andréa Burns, who's now featured in the new hit musical On Your Feet!, reached back to her days as a standby in Broadway's The Ritz and finally got to perform the Latin-infused send-up of classic hits "Googie Gomez Broadway Medley" on a Broadway stage.

- Cast members of LES MISERABLES, longing for the big dance numbers of other shows, reinvented their show as a comically staged "Barricade Ballet."

- Company XIV's Nutcracker Rouge showcased the ultra sexy "Licorice Boys," five sinewy male dancers in an erotic S&M ballet responding to the operatic calls of a whip-wielding dominatrix.

- Beset by a rash of illness and injury among its cast, Trip of Love turned to cast member Daniel Lynn Evans to become a "super swing" and perform all the roles of the '60s music lovefest himself.

GYPSY OF THE YEAR also included a special number recognizing national touring productions that fundraise. Choreographed by Geoffrey Goldberg, the number followed the national tour companies' fast-paced journey from security at the airport to the stage and after-show collections for Broadway Cares.

Jackson and Miranda also joined their Hamilton co-star Renée Elise Goldsberry as guest presenters, while Lesli Margherita from Dames at Sea and Matilda The Musical's Christopher Sieber announced the shows that helped the fundraising efforts but did not appear in the show.

A longtime friend and supporter of BC/EFA, two-time Tony winner Judith Light (Thérèse Raquin) led the audience in a touching moment of silence to remember the countless lives lost and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

The esteemed panel of judges that selected the best presentation award winners was introduced by Camryn Manheim (Spring Awakening), Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!) and Brandon Uranowitz (An American in Paris).

This year's judges were Philip Birsh, president and chief executive of Playbill and BC/EFA's Board of Trustees treasurer; John Cariani and Kate Reinders(Something Rotten!); Veanne Cox (An American in Paris); Alma Cuervo and Ana Villafane (On Your Feet!); Telly Leung (Allegiance); Actors' Equity Association President Kate Shindle and choreographer Sergio Trujillo (On Your Feet!). Also joining the panel were Lee Perlman and Gary Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by bidding on exclusive VIP packages at the 29th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

GYPSY OF THE YEAR was directed by Kristin Newhouse with Jason Trubitt serving as production stage manager, leading a team of 11 expert stage managers, and Ben Cohn as music supervisor. Lighting design was by Philip Rosenberg and sound by Marie Renee Foucher and Kurt Fischer.

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 $285 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS 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. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states.

For more information, visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, at facebook.com/BCEFA, at twitter.com/BCEFA, at youtube.com/BCEFA and at instagram.com/BCEFA.

Photo Credit: Monica Simoes