The hard work of the 192 performers in last Sunday’s Broadway Bares paid off in a big way. The two back-to-back shows brought in a combined total of $2,006,192—the largest amount raised in the event’s 29-year history. All the funds benefit the HIV/AIDS-focused nonprofit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA), which provides a number of services to people living with HIV across the United States.
This year’s show, titled Broadway Bares: Take Off, was built around a globe-trotting travel theme, which the cast and crew interpreted in a deliciously libidinous way. Set pieces in the modern burlesque included a sexy Day of the Dead celebration, a suggestive stroll through Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district and a “vigorous and vivacious” party in the style of the carnivals of Brazil, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The last stop on the travel itinerary? The legendary Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village—a fitting destination because the Stonewall uprising, widely viewed as pivotal to the modern gay rights movement, celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
Triple threat Billy Porter (of TV’s Pose and Broadway’s Kinky Boots) closed out the show with a stirring rendition of his brand-new single, “Love Yourself.” On cue, the entire cast appeared onstage and danced frenetically—in a Bares tradition known as the “rotation,” during which the audience is encouraged to tip. According to a BCEFA press release, the rotation alone raised $25,665.
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Not all the action took place onstage. The Stripathon, an online fundraising campaign in which cast members compete against one another to earn the most money, raked in $1,066,129, marking the first year the campaign has generated over $1 million. Top Stripathon earners included Mark MacKillop ($51,755, a new record), L. Steven Taylor ($43,529), Josh Cotham ($28,001) and Steve Bratton ($19,397).
Other sources of revenue included a donation by MAC Cosmetics to the tune of $200,000. What’s more, over 70 MAC makeup artists volunteered their time to create the show’s incredible looks.
In related POZ articles, check out our profile on top Stripathon earner Josh Cotham, “Beyond Burlesque: Stripping Away HIV Stigma,” and read our 2012 cover story on Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, “The Show Must Go On.”
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