Corbin Bleu, Roger Bart, Sierra Boggess & More to Join Broadway Cares' RED BUCKET FOLLIES

Broadway’s biggest names and brightest talents, both onstage and behind the scenes, are set to celebrate six weeks of dedicated fundraising with songs, skits and dance at the return of Red Bucket Follies, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

 

The heartwarming homecoming of the annual fall event, which has been on a pandemic hiatus since 2019, takes place at 4:30 pm on Monday, December 4, and at 2 pm Tuesday, December 5.

 

A limited number of tickets, starting at $40, are still available for the exhilarating insider event. They can be purchased at broadwaycares.org.

 

Red Bucket Follies (#redbucketfollies) will feature guest appearances by Roger Bart (Back to the Future: The Musical); Corbin Bleu (Little Shop of Horrors); Sierra Boggess, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen and Chip Zien (Harmony); Alex Brightman (The Shark is Broken, Spamalot); Victoria Clark and Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo); Lorna Courtney (& Juliet); Danny DeVito (I Need That); Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along); Leslie Odom Jr. and Kara Young (Purlie Victorious); and Patrick Page (All the Devils Are Here).

 

Broadway shows represented in Red Bucket Follies include Back to the Future: The Musical, Forbidden Sondheim, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harmony, Here Lies Love, Here We Are, Kimberly Akimbo, The Lion King, Some Like it Hot and Sweeney Todd, as well as Grammy Award-winning choir Broadway Inspirational Voices.

 

This year’s show also will feature special performances by Maria Bilbao, Sierra Boggess, Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht, Rachel Bay Jones, Andrea Martin, Bonnie Milligan, Christine Pedi, Marc Shaiman and Lillias White.

 

Representing Dancers Responding to AIDS, The Verdon Fosse Legacy will share “Mexican Shuffle” from Sweet Gwen Suite, a dance originally performed by Gwen Verdon for television in the 1960s.

 

A panel of distinguished judges will award best presentation honors at Tuesday's performance. This year's judges are producer and Museum of Broadway co-founder Julie Boardman; Casey Cott and Courtney Reed (Moulin Rouge! The Musical); Charlotte d'Amboise and Kimberly Marable (Chicago); Lucy DeVito (I Need That) and Melanie La Barrie and Ben Jackson Walker (& Juliet). Also joining the panel are Corey Brunish, Gary Wendlandt and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by bidding on exclusive VIP packages at the 37th annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

 

Ultimate Broadway buff Seth Rudetsky, host of SiriusXM’s “On Broadway” channel, returns to lead the festivities for the 13th year. The opening number is written by Jed Resnick, directed and choreographed by Andrew Turtletaub and will feature J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot), Bonnie Milligan(Kimberly Akimbo) and Jelani Remy (Back to the Future: The Musical). The show also will include a number, directed and choreographed by Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton) honoring the national touring shows that participated in the fall fundraising.

 

Red Bucket Follies will be directed by Jason Trubitt with Bernadette Schoenborn serving as production stage manager and Ted Arthur as music director.

 

Red Bucket Follies showcases ensemble members and special guests flexing their creativity and talent with original songs, skits and dances. Awards are given on Tuesday to the best presentation and for the top fundraising Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring shows for the six weeks’ efforts.

 

Since 1989, the 31 editions of Red Bucket Follies (formerly called Gypsy of the Year) and last fall’s in-theater fundraising effort have raised $91.4 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the philanthropic heart of Broadway, 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 theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/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 Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), including The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, the HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance.

 

For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, at facebook.com/BCEFA, at instagram.com/BCEFA, at tiktok.com/@bcefaand at youtube.com/BCEFA.