Go Inside Day 1 of Playbill's Weekend-Long Pride in Times Square Celebration | Playbill

Sponsored Content Go Inside Day 1 of Playbill's Weekend-Long Pride in Times Square Celebration

The 2nd annual event included appearances from the casts of Some Like It Hot and Wicked, the American Theatre Wing Chorus, and more.

Jackie Cox Heather Gershonowitz

Coinciding with NYC Pride, Playbill and the Times Square Alliance teamed up June 23-24 for Pride in Times Square with a weekend-long event bringing together stage and screen stars, Broadway shows, LGBTQIA+ non-profits, and more between 45th and 47th Street—the heart of Broadway. See the photo gallery below for snapshots of the celebration.

The first day of Playbill Pride 2023 opened with our hosts James T. Lane and L Morgan Lee, plus guest speakers from Playbill, Times Square Alliance, presenting sponsors American Express, ViiV Healthcare, and Audible; and Broadway artists Andrew Keenan Bolger and Eric Ulloa. The kickoff featured special performances by Brandon Contreras, Madison Rose, and special guests from The NYC Unity Project, The NYC Commission on Human Rights, GLAAD, Hotel Edison, Open Jar Studios, and more.

Go inside day one of Pride in Times Square below:

Go Inside Day 1 of Playbill's Pride in Times Square

Next, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce Pride Celebration took to the Main Stage, with special guest performer Pepper MaShay. After that, Eric Krop (Godspell) stepped onto the Pride Piano Bar Stage to perform original songs and stories. 

Next on the Main Stage, ViiV Healthcare presented “Celebrate You!,” a line-up of proudly queer talent celebrating what make us all unique. Hosted by Yuhua Hamasaki, performances were by stars from Ru Paul’s Drag Race Pandora Boxx and Jackie Cox, as well as stand-up comic/actor Jes Tom, activist Marti Cummings, plus a special sing-along moment from The American Theatre Wing, led by Tony Award-winner J. Harrison Ghee and an all-star chorus including Tony Award winner Bonnie Milligan, Alana Raquel Bowers, Annaleigh Ashford, Anthony Lee Medina, Brandon Contreras, Cristina Pitter, Desmond Is Amazing, Devin Lewis, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Lauren Elder, Lee LeBreton, Matt Raffy, Melba Moore, Michael Ivan Carrier, Nic Rouleau, Tiffany Renée Thompson and Val Ramirez.

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity then presented the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Pride Kick Off on the Pride Piano Bar Stage. Members of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity, the Unity Project, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, and more kicked off the inaugural year of Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). SYEP is launching this initiative to connect young people who identify as LGBTQIA+ with supportive, welcoming summer jobs and career experiences.

The star-studded celebration concluded with Anthems of Pride presented by American Express, a stellar concert of Broadway show performances celebrating the longstanding, deep-rooted relationship between the LGBTQIA+ community and Broadway. Host Tituss Burgess welcomed cast members from over 20 long-running classics and new smash-hit productions to the stage, including & Juliet's Melanie La Barrie, A Beautiful Noise's Will Swenson and Mark JacobyThe Book of Mormon's PJ Adzima, Chicago's Kimberly Marable, Arian Keddell, Mary Claire King, Marty Lawson, Jeff Gorti and Michael Scirrotto, The Cottage's Lilli Cooper, Dana Steingold and Laura Bell Bundy, Funny Girl's Lea Michele, Hadestown's Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and company, Hamilton's Thayne Jasperson, Trey Curtis, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, Johanna Moises, Laura Mendes, and Kennedy Kandi, Kimberly Akimbo's Colleen Fitzpatrick, Alex Vinh, Miguel Gil, Olivia Elease Hardy, Fernell Hogan, and Nina White, Life of Pi's Uma Paranjpe, The Lion King's Gilbert Domally, Little Shop of Horrors' Tiffany Rene and Joy Woods, New York, New York's Vanessa Sears, Parade special guests and cast members Howard McGillin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Beth Kirkpatrick, Jackson Teeley, Darius-Anthony Robinson, Mika Kauffman, Micki Hardenberg, William Michals, Erin Rose Doyle, Danielle Lee Greaves, Caroline Fairweather, Tanner Callicutt, Nicole Anadyme, and Hassan, Peter Pan Goes Wrong's Ellie Morris and Nancy ZamitThe Play That Goes Wrong's Kolby Kindle and Clyde Voce, 2023 Shucked star and Tony Award winner Alex Newell, SIX's Hailee Kaleem Wright, Leandra Ellis-Gaston, Bella Coppola, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Zoe Jensen, and Taylor Iman Jones, 2023 Some Like It Hot star and Tony Award winner J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot), Titanique's Anthony Murphy, and Wicked's Mary Kate Morrissey.

Pride in Times Square continues June 24, with events including The NYC Gay Men’s Chorus; a concert featuring transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2S+) composers; and the Big Broadway Disco dance party (which will feature performances from the cast of Moulin Rouge! and Here Lies Love).

The event is sponsored by American Express, ViiV Healthcare, and Audible Theater, with additional support from Hotel Edison, The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), Open Jar Studios, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity, and NYC Unity Project.

For a full schedule and more information, visit Playbill.com/Pride.

 
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