Photos: Broadway Backwards Raises Record $1,111,788

Broadway stars lit up the Gershwin Theatre on March 10, 2025, as Broadway Backwards delivered performances celebrating LGBTQ+ love, the strength of community and the boundless power of hope. See photos from the event here! 
 
The show raised a record-shattering $1,111,788 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) in New York City. The one-night-only event is produced by Broadway Cares.
 
By transforming show tunes into queer stories, Broadway Backwards stands as the only annual event on Broadway custom-made for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies. This elevated evening brings to life the stories audiences long to see onstage in fresh, unexpected and deeply moving ways.
 
Jenn Colella hosted the sold-out evening, welcoming returning guests while ushering in a new generation of Broadway Backwards attendees. Colella led a cast of 82 performers and a 13-piece orchestra in the event’s celebratory 19th edition.
 
The evening started with the Broadway Backwards ensemble weaving together a tapestry of show tune lyrics reflecting both the challenges and triumphs of the LGBTQ+ experience in today’s climate before Jordan Fisher (upcoming Moulin Rouge! The Musical) emerged with a soaring rendition of “Defying Gravity.” In the hallowed halls of Wicked’s home theater, his electrifying performance, alongside Javier Ignacio and Gabriella Joy Rodriguez, reminded the audience that “everyone deserves the chance to fly.”
 
Sydney James Harcourt (Cats: The Jellicle Ball) closed the show with a rousing rendition of “Keep Marching” from Suffs, delivering a powerful rallying cry to persist in the fight for equality and equity. Joined by an empowered ensemble, the stirring words, “Let history sound the alarm of how / The future demands that we fight for it now / It will only be ours if we keep marching, keep marching on,” echoed a resolute call to action.