A host of Broadway favorites were part of Broadway Cares' annual Red Bucket Follies—showcasing multitalented ensemble members while celebrating six weeks of in-theatre fundraising—December 9–10 at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre. Watch highlights from the annual event in the video above.
Seth Rudetsky hosted the two-day event, which honored 53 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national touring companies and raised a whopping $5,320,146. The total was announced December 10 by Cole Escola (Oh, Mary!), Ruthie Ann Miles (McNeal), Jim Parsons (Our Town), and Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Blvd.).
Special guests also included Darlesia Cearcy, Kim Exum, Dionne Figgins, Jennie Harney-Fleming, and James Monroe Igelhart (A Wonderful World); Julie Halston (Our Town); Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, and Michelle Williams (Death Becomes Her); Javier Muñoz (Hamilton); David Thaxton (Sunset Boulevard); and Max von Essen (Chicago).
Continuing to defy gravity, both the Broadway and national touring productions of Wicked took home Top Fundraising titles. The Wicked - Munchkinland tour raised $318,084, with the Broadway staging raising $284,052.
Best onstage presentation went to Back to the Future: The Musical, which celebrated their production with parodied performances of songs from the show. The Lion King earned the runner-up presentation title for “Mental,” which delved into the anxiety and pain that often accompany mental illness, posing the question, “Who would prioritize me?”
The breakdown of this year’s fundraising leaders follows:
Broadway Musical
Top Fundraiser: Wicked, $284,052
1st Runner-Up: Hell’s Kitchen, $269,562
2nd Runner-Up: Sunset Blvd., $258,702
3rd Runner-Up: The Outsiders, $200,052
Broadway Play
Top Fundraiser: Oh, Mary!, $203,794
1st Runner-Up: Our Town, $152,631
2nd Runner-Up: Romeo + Juliet, $102,176
Off-Broadway (Play or Musical)
Top Fundraiser: Little Shop of Horrors, $118,374
1st Runner-Up: Titanique, $28,855
2nd Runner-Up: The Play That Goes Wrong, $24,342
National Tours
Top Fundraiser: Wicked - Munchkinland, $318,084
1st Runner-Up: Some Like It Hot, $160,917
2nd Runner-Up: Hamilton – Philip, $144,407
3rd Runner-Up: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, $136,438
4th Runner-Up: Hamilton - Angelica, $134,002
The opening number was directed, choreographed, and conceived by Andrew Turteltaub. Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that shared original songs, skits, and dances included Back to the Future: The Musical, Hamilton, Hell’s Kitchen, The Lion King, Suffs, Titanique, and Wicked, as well as the Grammy-winning choir Broadway Inspirational Voices. Representing Dancers Responding to AIDS, Parsons Dance shared the joyful “Whirlaway.”
Tony winner Betty Buckley also made a special appearance to celebrate Broadway Cares’ newest addition to its Broadway Legends ornament series, which honors Buckley’s Tony-winning turn as Grizabella in Cats. Buckley brought the crowd to its feet with a stunningly emotional take on her signature song, "Memory." And, the cast of SIX paid tribute to the late, beloved Gavin Creel with a heartfelt and harmony-rich rendition of David Friedman's “We Can Be Kind.”
The show also included a number directed and choreographed by Chaz Wolcott that honored the national touring shows that participated in the fall fundraising.
Judges included Tom Francis (Sunset Boulevard); Nikki M. James and Shaina Taub (Suffs); Kimberly Marable and Bianca Marroquin (Chicago); Mary Kate Morrissey and Brad Oscar (Wicked); Bebe Neuwirth and Steven Skybell (Cabaret); and Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!) as well as Wayne Vincent, Art Panfile, Gary Wendlandt, and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by bidding on VIP packages at the 38th annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.
Red Bucket Follies was directed by Jason Trubitt with Bernadette Schoenborn as production stage manager and Ted Arthur as music director and Charles Gordon as music coordinator. Lighting design was by Joel Shier with sound design by Marie Renee Foucher.
Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS who will retire at the end of the year following 36 years of extraordinary service, told the crowd, “You've joined our work with such commitment, generosity of spirit, kindness, and great humanity. You shared your time, talents, energy and resources in ways that have simply been beyond imagining. … I will hold the memories of what we shared for these many years in my heart forever. Thank you.”
Since 1989, the 33 editions of Red Bucket Follies (formerly called Gypsy of the Year) have raised $104 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Visit BroadwayCares.org.
