Broadway Bares, the modern-day burlesque spectacular produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, returned to live performances June 26 with a 30th anniversary celebration titled Broadway Bares: XXX at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

SIX The Musical stars Keirsten Nicole Hodgens, Andrea Macasaet, Brittney Mack, and Courtney Mack led the closing number—riffing off of Rihanna’s “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place”—choreographed by Gabriella Sorrentino. The Six artists were joined by Sarah Buscaino, Sarah Crane, Kenny Hall, Roddy Kennedy, Johanna Moise, Aliya Rose, Mikey Sylvester, Bethany Tesarck, and subsequently the entire company. Watch the complete finale above.

Laya Barak, who piloted the last live edition, Broadway Bares: Take Off in 2019, again directed with associate direction by Jonathan Lee. Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, who created the fundraiser, and Nick Kenkel, a longtime Bares director and performer, continued as executive producers.

READ: Broadway Bares: XXX Raises $1,893,715 for Broadway Cares

The one-night-only extravaganza of provocative new production numbers was inspired by the show’s three-decade run. Fourteeen choreographers drew inspiration from Bares’ titles and storylines of years past, bringing new takes to audience favorites. In addition to Barak, Kenkel, Sorrentino, and Lee, choreographers included Al Blackstone, Jessica Castro, Chloe Davis, Armando Farfan, Richard J. Hinds, Stephanie Klemons, Sekou McMiller, Michael Lee Scott, Kellen Stancil, and Andrew Turteltaub.

The roster of Broadway performers who made appearances included Oscar winner and 2022 Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose, Funny Girl star Ramin Karimloo, POTUS stars Julianne Hough, Suzy Nakamura, and Julie White; Tony-winning A Strange Loop writer Michael R. Jackson; Tony winner and Broadway Bares founder Mitchell; Nathan Lee Graham; Lesli Margherita; Bonnie Milligan; Maulik Pancholy; and Jason Tam. The evening also included performers from the casts of Broadway's Aladdin, Beetlejuice, Company, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Hamilton, The Lion King, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Music Man, POTUS, A Strange Loop, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

Broadway Bares: XXX was written by Hunter Bell and Troy Britton Johnson and featured lighting design by Joel Shier, scenic design by David Arsenault, and sound design by Nick Borisjuk. Production stage managers were Jereme Kyle Lewis and Johnny Milani with Sarah Helgesen as stage manager.

Broadway Bares was created in 1992 by Mitchell, then a Broadway dancer, as a way to raise awareness and money for those living with HIV/AIDS. In Broadway Bares’ first year, Mitchell and six of his friends danced atop a New York City bar and raised $8,000 for the cause. Because of the pandemic, the last two editions of Broadway Bares were virtual presentations. Since 1988, Broadway Bares has raised more than $21 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Visit BroadwayCares.org.

Check out photos from the evening below:

close gallery

0 of

Check Out Sexy, Behind-the-Scenes Portraits From Broadway Bares: XXX

Next Slide  

You may also like

• 
  Photos: Ncuti Gatwa, Sharon D Clarke, More in The Importance of Being Earnest at The National Theatre
• 
  Photos: Allison Russell, Phillip Boykin, Jordan Fisher, More in Hadestown on Broadway
• 
  Photos: Irving Berlin's White Christmas at Paper Mill Playhouse