Daveed Diggs, who plays Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the Broadway hit Hamilton, tops the starry lineup for the sixth annual Broadway Belts for PFF!, an evening of music and comedy that benefits the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
Julie Halston hosts the 7 PM February 29 event at the Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th St.) in New York City.
The fundraiser also features the talents of Tony winners Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Cady Huffman and Judy Kaye with Telly Leung and Robert Creighton.
The annual event began as a tribute to Broadway theatre critic Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press, who died suddenly of pulmonary fibrosis in 2010. Halston’s husband, newscaster Ralph Howard, was diagnosed with PF and a short time later, received a life-saving lung transplant.
To date, Broadway Belts has raised close to $500,000 for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and is the largest single fundraiser for the Chicago-based organization.
In a statement Halston said, "Watching my husband struggle to breathe was a poignant reminder of never taking for granted this most basic human function. Can you imagine not being able to breathe? That’s what we’re fighting for and why this evening, filled with Broadway’s best ‘belting to the rafters,’ is so important to me. The leap in treatment since 2010 has been astounding, but much more needs to be done until there is a cure."
The mission of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is to "serve as the trusted resource for the PF community by raising awareness, providing disease education, advancing care and funding research." For more information visit www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org.
For ticket or sponsorship information, visit Pulmonaryfibrosis.org/broadwaybelts.
