Three Tony Award-winning performers and stars from Broadway's biggest hits will be among the star-studded storytellers sharing their hearts through song at this year's Broadway Backwards, a show celebrating equality and community through gender-reversed interpretations of beloved show tunes.
The Monday, March 13, event is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefits Broadway Cares and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City.
This exhilarating evening will include one-of-a-kind, unforgettable performances from celebrated stars of stage and screen including Sierra Boggess (School of Rock - The Musical), Tony nominee Alex Brightman (School of Rock - The Musical), two-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Tony winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, TV's Blue Bloods), Ariana DeBose (A Bronx Tale), Lora Lee Gayer (Holiday Inn), Tony winner John Glover (The Cherry Orchard), Jay Armstrong Johnson (On the Town, TV's Quantico), Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen), Tony winner Levi Kreis (Million Dollar Quartet), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies), Javier Muñoz (Hamilton), Tony nominee Bobby Steggert (Big Fish), Tony nominee Andrew Rannells (Falsettos, TV's Girls), Bobby Conte Thornton (A Bronx Tale), two-time Golden Globe winner, Tony nominee and Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and Rachel York (Disaster!).
More special guests will be announced later this month. Performers are subject to change.
The 12th edition of Broadway Backwards (#broadwaybackwards) will be performed at 8 pm at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street, NYC), currently home to the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots.
Tickets are available at broadwaycares.org or by calling 212.840.0770, ext. 229. Remaining tickets start at $175. Tickets at the $85 level are sold out.
VIP tickets include premium seats and a special post-show cocktail reception with the cast. A limited number of "Backstage & Beyond" ticket packages also are available, which include the opportunity to see the dress rehearsal, exclusive backstage access, a meet-and-greet with some of the stars of Broadway Backwards, premium seats for the show and more.
Creator Robert Bartley will direct the show. He will be joined by Mary-Mitchell Campbell as music supervisor and Laura Bergquist as music director. Choreography will be created by Bartley, Christopher Rice and Adam Roberts.
Last year's inspiring performance raised a record $480,287. It featured a 67-person cast of Broadway and television's best, backed by a live onstage orchestra.
What began as a small, grassroots concert performed at The Center in 2006 quickly grew into a highly-anticipated event presented in Broadway's best theatres. In its 11 editions, Broadway Backwards has raised more than $2.8 million for Broadway Cares and The Center.
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.
Established in 1983, New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity. Each year, The Center welcomes more than 300,000 visits to our building in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan from people who engage in our life-changing and life-saving activities. To learn more about The Center's work, visit gaycenter.org.
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