Sparkle!, a starry holiday concert masterminded by Scott Nevins, brought gladness and cheer to the audience that assembled at XL Cabaret on Monday, December 17 for the one-night-only event. Here are my photos of some of the fabulous folks who performed in this benefit for The Actors' Fund.
Harvey Fierstein
Erin Quill
Norm Lewis
Anne Steele
Daniel Reichard
Saycon Sengbloh
Robin DeJesus
Jenna Leigh Green
Constantine Rousoli
Lorna Luft, with Scott Nevins
The 24th annual Gypsy of the Year competition, held at the New Amsterdam Theatre, raised $3,902,608 to support the good works of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year's event culminated with David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk leading a tribute to the late, great lyricist Fred Ebb, whose estate has been spectacularly generous towards BC/EFA (to the tune of more than $6 million). Here are my photos of the show, which featured lots of great numbers performed by Broadway's gypsies as well as special appearances by such notables as Len Cariou (who created the role of Sweeney Todd) and Andrea McArdle, Broadway's original Annie, who sang a duet version of "Tomorrow" with Lilla Crawford, the star of the Annie revival. At the end of the event, the winners in the fundraising and performance categories were announced by Chita Rivera, Katie Holmes, and Ricky Martin.
