BROADWAY BARES Raises $1,015,985 for BC/EFA

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Sunday's BROADWAY BARES XX: "STRIP-OPOLY" made history by raising $1,015,985 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

This marks the first time in BROADWAY BARES history that the $1 million dollar mark was reached, a goal that had been set this January by BARES creator and executive producer, Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.

This year's total shatters the previous fundraising record which was set in 2008 when $874,000 was raised. The first BROADWAY BARES, in 1992, featured seven dancers stripping on a bar and raised more than $8,000. To date, the 20 editions of BROADWAY BARES have raised more than $7.5 million for BC/EFA.

Jerry Mitchell said in a statement, "We did it! I'm so overcome with emotion at all of the hard work that went into making our dream a reality. I want to thank everyone who has put in countless hours to help make this happen. Some people thought it couldn't be done, especially in today's economy, but we did. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I couldn't imagine a more spectacular way to celebrate 20 editions of BROADWAY BARES for Broadway Cares."

BROADWAY BARES XX: "STRIP-OPOLY" was produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS lead by producing director Michael Graziano, executive produced by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell (Love Never Dies, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde), and was directed by Josh Rhodes (The Drowsy Chaperone, Fosse) and associate director Lee Wilkins (Spamalot, Wonderful Town).

The evening featured the work of 15 choreographers and 216 of the sexiest male and female dancers from Broadway's biggest shows baring nearly all to benefit BC/EFA. A $150,000 check from M·A·C Viva Glam was presented to BC/EFA by M·A·C's Senior Vice President Jennifer Balbier who also saluted the extraordinary skills of 93 M·A·C make-up artists who worked on the show.

Highlights from this year's BROADWAY BARES XX: "STRIP-OPOLY" included:

· Kristin Chenoweth, Euan Morton, and Vanessa Williams performing the side-splitting opening number "The Best Game in Town" by David Nehls (The Great American Trailer Park Musical) which featured Chenoweth and Williams rising on a bright red swing over the adoring crowd.

· Joshua Buscher showed off tremendous assets and an amazing stimulus package as the featured strip in "The Bank."

· Special guest appearances were made by Lucy Liu on behalf of "the community chest," while Jackie Hoffman sent Katie Finneran "directly to jail" for stealing scenes, a reference to her Tony winning performances in both Promises, Promises and Noises Off.

· Felicia Finley and Rachelle Rak turned the heat up on "Connecticut Avenue" as a Stepford wife introduced to the community's new, rowdy neighbor.

· The crowd went wild over the "Boardwalk" which featured Broadway actors playing the cast of the hit MTV show "Jersey Shore" including Jennifer Cody as ‘Snookie' and John Carroll as ‘The Situation.'

· BROADWAY BARES XX poster boy Charlie Williams appeared as an attentive bell hop who ended up in only a wash-cloth when repeatedly answering the call for "more towels, please" from statuesque hotel guests, played by some of La Cage Aux Folles' Cagelles.

· Kyle DesChamps and a host of hot inmates lost their stripes and turned the tables on their warden, played by BARES favorite Sebastian LaCause in "Go to Jail."

· Vocal powerhouses Alysha Umphress and Diana DiGarmo grabbed the spotlight from dozens of nearly naked dancers with their dynamic renditions of Journey's "Lights" and Queen's "Play the Game," the event's grand finale.

· Choreographer Nick Kenkel showcased his racy hip-hop moves on two teams of high-speed dancers in "Pass Go."

· On "Orient Avenue," The Living Art of Armando stopped the show with dazzling acrobatics high above the crowd.

· A finale that showcased celebrities and iconic dancers from the previous 19 editions of BROADWAY BARES that culminated with Jerry Mitchell taking the stage in the tribal head dress and loincloth he wore as ‘The Indian of The Dawn' from 1992's The Will Rogers Follies, the fabled performance on a tom-tom that inspired BROADWAY BARES

This year's BARES featured stars spanning BARES' 19 previous editions and some new faces to the Roseland stage. Notable names who appeared included: Nick Adams (La Cage Aux Folles), Heidi Blickenstaff ([title of show]), Kevin Burrows (Spamalot on tour), Charles Busch (The Divine Sister), Kevin Chamberlin (The Addams Family), Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth (Promises, Promises), Jennifer Cody (Shrek The Musical), Tony Award winner Alan Cumming ("The Good Wife"), Diana DeGarmo (Hair), Lea DeLaria (The Rock Horror Show), Felicia Finley (The Wedding Singer), Tony Award winner Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises), Barrett Foa (Avenue Q), Julie Halston (The Divine Sister), Jackie Hoffman (The Addams Family), Cheyenne Jackson (Finian's Rainbow), Denis Jones (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Sebastian LaCause (The Rocky Horror Show), reality television star Reichen Lehmkuhl ("The Amazing Race"), Lucy Liu (God of Carnage), Julia Murney (Wicked), Christopher Sieber (Shrek The Musical), Rachelle Rak (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Andrew Rannells (Jersey Boys), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), Tony Award winner Lillias White (Fela) and Vanessa Williams (Sondheim on Sondheim).

BROADWAY BARES is the hotly anticipated annual event combining the naughtiness of burlesque and the razzle-dazzle of Broadway and has been a smashing success since its inception in 1992. The event features the hottest male and female dancers on Broadway and has become one of Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS' signature events. The 2010 edition, BROADWAY BARES XX: "STRIP-OPOLY" was held at Roseland Ballroom (239 West 52nd Street) with two performances on Sunday, June 20. For more information and merchandise, visit www.BroadwayBares.com.

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 over $175 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors' Fund - including The AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Dancers' Resource and three supportive housing residences. BC/EFA also awards annual grants to over 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

For more information, please visit the BC/EFA website at www.broadwaycares.org.

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi