Broadway: "Gypsy Of The Year 2016" Raises Over $4.4 Million

Broadway Cares shares the good news:

Broadway’s best spread messages of unity, hope and resilience through satire, song and dance December 5 and 6, 2016, at the 28th annual Gypsy of the Year competition.

Gypsy of the Year , which celebrated six weeks of dedicated fundraising from 55 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies, raised $4,492,636 for Broadway Cares. The grand total was announced Tuesday by Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo and Jessie Mueller and Hamilton star Javier Muñoz following two incredible days of performances. Erivo, Mueller and Muñoz also presented the awards to the top fundraisers and best performances across the two afternoons.

The company of Hamilton took top honors for best onstage presentation. In “America,” the cast mashed up the music and lyrics of Bob Marley and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the poetry of Langston Hughes into a call for peace and equality in our country. Javier Muñoz and Syndee Winters led the integration of song and word, with the cast channeling the duo’s sentiments into a powerful, striking dance.

The company of The Lion King was runner-up with a moving spoken-word piece giving voice to those marginalized by the current political climate. The piece, written by cast member L. Steven Taylor and choreographed by Ray Mercer, found four isolated actors, and a dancer expressing their words through movement, finding common ground in fighting for each other’s plight. The piece concluded with the performers declaring in unison, “I will never leave you alone.”

This year’s edition of Gypsy of the Year opened with a energetic dance featuring the return of Broadway legends Baayork Lee, Donna McKechnie and Margo Sappington. The dynamic trio recreated their unforgettable “Turkey Lurkey Time,” which they originated in 1968’s Promises, Promises.

Daily Dance: Tony Award Winner Donna McKechnie V. Debbie Allen On FAME

I remember watching this when it aired in 1984. I loved all the dancing featured on FAME.

I worked with Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie for many years - from touring in A CHORUS LINE to behind the scenes on her various one woman shows. She used to joke that I was the son she never had. I was so flattered :)

What a talent.

Friday Flashback: Ann Reinking, Donna McKechnie & Chita Rivera perform "Let Me Entertain You"

From the 1987 TV special "Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule Styne" - Tony Award winners Ann Reinking, Donna McKechnie and Chita Rivera, perform "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy.

I've been a fan of all three practically my whole life. It still amazes me I worked with all three.

Tony Awards On CBS Tonight!

In advance of tonight's Tony Awards show on CBS at 8PM, I wanted to reflect back on the days when the Tonys would pay tribute to the giants of the Broadway world.

From the 1970s through the 1980s the telecast, in addition to handing out the awards for excellence that year on Broadway, would deliver world-class numbers and entertainment honoring the artists of the Broadway genre.

In 1988, a year after 7-time Tony Award winner Michael Bennett's death, original cast members of A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls came together for a terrific montage to remind of his genius.

More than any other director or choreographer, I think (in my mind) I've hoped to aspire to the kind of vision Michael brought to his work.  Breaking ground time after time with Company, Follies, A Chorus Line and the breathtaking Dreamgirls, I've had a visceral connection to his genius ever since I can remember understanding who he was.

Watch below - AND don't forget to watch the Tony tonight!

Thanks to my blogger buddy Wicked Gay Blog for reminding me of this fab clip.

Donna McKechnie Joins Broadway Cast of THE VISIT

Tony Award-winner Donna McKechnie has been announced as standby for another legend, Chita Rivera, in the upcoming Broadway musical, The Visit.

"Who else could go on for a Broadway legend like Ms. Rivera but another Broadway legend?" said producer Tom Kirdahy in a statement. "The tradition of an actor standing by, should the star not be able to perform, though unlikely in Ms. Rivera's case, has been turned on its ear by this news. We are ecstatic that Donna is joining our company."

She will stand by for the 82-year-old Rivera, who plays Claire Zachanassian, a wealthy courtesan who returns to the small village where she grew up, in order to destroy the man who robbed her of her virtue when she was a girl.

Based on the 1958 drama of the same title by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt, The Visit musical has a score by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb, and a book by Terrence McNally. Choreography for the two legendary dancers will be supplied by Graciela Daniele.

How thrilled I am that these two Broadway icons become part of this new musical for Broadway. I had the opportunity to work with both for long periods of time. My first national touring company of A Chorus Line starred Donna; and early in my CHICAGO the Musical journey I worked with Chita when she was playing "Roxie Hart" in the Las Vegas leg of the national tour.

Love them both. As does everyone.

It's not well known, but back in the 1990s the producers of the musical The Goodbye Girl (starring Martin Short and Bernadette Peters) were in talks with Donna to standby for Bernadette. Unfortunately the show closed before the deal was done, but the same logic was in play there: who better to go on for a Broadway legend than another Broadway legend?

With Chita Rivera backstage at CHICAGO the Musical

Backstage at an all-star benefit where I helped choreograph a number for Donna McKechnie