Broadway Backwards
Record-Breaking Evening Inspires & Empowers LGBTQ Community A bevy of Broadway’s brightest stars joined a sold-out audience on March 11 to celebrate and motivate the LGBTQ community and its allies at this year’s record-breaking Broadway Backwards. The 14th annual edition of the show raised $704,491 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. The previous fundraising record was set last year at $680,273. Broadway Backwards, which was produced by Broadway Cares at the New Amsterdam Theatre, featured a cast of 130 performers and a live, 12-piece orchestra. To open the evening, Tony Award winner Gavin Creel and two-time Tony nominee Andrew Rannells invited the audience to join in the celebration and “come play with [them]” in a playful rendition of “Where You Are” from Kiss of the Spider Woman. They were joined by the Broadway Backwards ensemble in effervescent choreography, created by Paul McGill, which paid homage to some of the most iconic dances in Broadway history. The show rapturously ended with Jenn Colella singing “Louder Than Words” from Tick, Tick...BOOM!, backed by Broadway Inspirational Voices. The soul-stirring performance asked: “Why do we follow leaders who never lead? Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?... Actions speak louder than words.”
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Behind the Scenes
Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss, recently seen in TV’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, battled a case of pre-wedding jitters with the rapid-fire patter of Stephen Sondheim’s “Getting Married Today” from Company. Spurred by an overabundance of female attention paid to Tony winner Donna McKechnie, two-time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth sought to calm her own jealousy in an affectionate rendition of “I Still Get Jealous” from High Button Shoes. The audience revelled in the opportunity to see the two legendary dancers break into Jerome Robbins’ iconic choreography, restaged by Stephen Reed. Moulin Rouge’s Robyn Hurder and Fiddler on the Roof’s Alexandra Silber put a twist on the roles of Tulsa and Louise in a romantic restaging of Gypsy’s “All I Need is the Girl.” The piece, originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins, was restaged by Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck, who played the role of Tulsa and performed the choreography in the 2008 revival of Gypsy. Tony nominee Ariana DeBose of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical showed off her impressive dancing skills, backed up by a female ensemble, in a fun and flirty rendition of “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” from Bye Bye Birdie. The sultry and salsa-infused number was choreographed by Hamilton’s Karla Puno Garcia.