Broadway Backwards Raises Record $466K For Broadway Cares & NYC LGBT Center

Via press release:

The 10th anniversary of Broadway Backwards capped off an exuberant, exhilarating and emotional evening of performances on Monday, March 9, 2015 with news that this year’s event raised a record $466,717 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. The sold-out show included 20 audience-pleasing numbers and multiple standing ovations for Tituss Burgess, Lena Hall, Florence Henderson, Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lillias White and more Broadway favorites, as well as a special appearance by recent Kennedy Center Honoree Lily Tomlin. Julie Halston and Rob McClure served as the evening's jovial hosts. Broadway Backwards is the annual celebration where gays and lesbians see their stories told through the great songs of musical theatre, sung by their favorite Broadway performers. It is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and was presented again in the historic Al Hirschfeld Theatre, home to the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots. This year’s edition of Broadway Backwards featured a spirited 66-person cast and an onstage orchestra of 13 performing some of the most memorable numbers from previous editions of the benefit.

I was there with my buddy Mike and it was fantastic as always. As she did several years ago, 81 year-old Florence Henderson stole the show with a bawdy performance that included a macking session with an Alice stand-in. Peering into the upraised hindquarters of a muscular dancer, she quipped, "Is that the Holland or Lincoln tunnel? Helloooooo?" Mrs. Brady would not have approved. I'll post videos when they become available - in the meantime check out Playbill's photo gallery.

Broadway Backwards Reveals 2015 Cast

The tenth annual Broadway Backwards is next month and to celebrate the anniversary some of the show's most noted performers will be returning.

The roster of stars joining this year's Broadway Backwards includes Tony Award winners Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, TV’s “Blue Bloods”) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate), Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck (On the Town) and Broadway favorites Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid), Julie Halston (You Can’t Take It With You), Ann Harada (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Avenue Q), Florence Henderson (Oklahoma!, TV’s “The Brady Bunch”), Jackie Hoffman (On the Town) and Aaron Lazar (The Last Ship). Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Performers subject to change. "I’m thrilled to welcome back these talented performers for this special 10th edition of Broadway Backwards," creator Robert Bartley said. "Thanks to them and the hundreds of talented performers who have participated in the nine editions of Broadway Backwards so far, we've been able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that help provide lifesaving medications, counseling and support for LGBT youth and those struggling with HIV/AIDS." This year's edition of Broadway Backwards will be performed at 8 PM at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street, NYC), home to the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots.

Broadway Backwards is my favorite Broadway event and I've only missed one since the show launched. Get tickets here. You might enjoy my slideshow of the 2009 show where Florence Henderson and Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) had an encounter in a women's prison.