LGBTQ news and entertainment
Check out the trailer for Season 2 of Finding Fire Island, the GLAAD-nominated documentary series and the first to document the history of Cherry Grove and The Fire Island Pines.
Created, executive produced, and narrated by Jess Rothschild, Finding Fire Island takes us behind the curtain of the mystique and lore of Fire Island and talks to folks who experienced the gay mecca’s evolution from the 1950s to today. Continue reading “Trailer: ‘Finding Fire Island’ Season 2”
(image via official website)
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| Cast members of ‘Broadway Bares: Take Off’ (photo: Billy Bustamante) |
Broadway’s sexiest event of the year, Broadway Bares, offered a spectacular romp around the world this past weekend, and we’ve got the video to prove it.
Over two performances at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City Sunday night, Broadway’s hottest dancers raised a record-breaking $2+ 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. Thanks to BC/EFA, men, women and children across the country receive lifesaving medications, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance.
This year’s theme, Broadway Bares: Take Off, featured nearly 200 performers onstage including Tony & Grammy Award winner Billy Porter, two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber, GLEE alum Alex Newell and Grammy/Tony nominee Ashley Park.
Check out the highlights reel:
The travel theme allowed the creators to take the audience on a sexy, sensual, fun-filled trip around the world.
One number, titled “Ground Crew,” showed what happens when a flight is delayed on the tarmac and the all-male ground crew has to sweat through their shift.
Led by Adam Perry, the number (choreographed by Andrew Turteltaub) featured buff baggage handlers taking care of business.
Other highlights included a sexy ‘mile-high club’ number; an all-female excursion through Amsterdam’s Red Light district; and a Parisian fashion show led by Pose star Billy Porter that evolved into a vogueing battle.
With this year being the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the show’s travels ended (where else?) with a performance set in the historic Stonewall Inn.
Porter also returned at the end of the show to perform his new Pride anthem, “Love Yourself.”
Addressing the packed crowd, Porter spoke passionately of “community” and “unbowed determination.”
“Broadway Bares is about the joy of community, the love we share and the care we show for each other,” said the Tony Award winning actor. “These are both glorious and difficult days. We have so much to celebrate and be proud of. But at the same time we are surely shaken, angry and saddened by the cruelty, inequality and torrent of lies that confront us on a daily basis.”
“But as I look over this beautiful audience and see thousands standing together, unbowed, we will not be dismissed or demeaned. For we are empowered by love, determination and courage,” he continued. “We will not be stigmatized for the very things that make us beautiful, expressive beings.”
And yes, it does take a village. In addition to the 200 onstage performers, backstage there were 41 stage managers and 700 volunteers, including 70 MAC makeup artists, all helping to make the magic.
With 29 editions of the ‘striptacular’ event now on the books, Broadway Bares has raised an amazing $21.1 million for BC/EFA.
Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses.
Just to give you a sense of how massive the event is, here’s a clip from the finale via Broadway Bares creator, Tony Award winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell:
Audiences for this year’s globetrotting edition of Broadway Bares will get to travel the world and check out the sexy sights when New York City’s hottest dancers take to the stage of the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 16 for two amazing performances.
Broadway Bares: Take Off, the 29th edition of the sexy annual fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will offer sky-high striptease set to today’s pop music. With skin-tastic, travel-inspired modern burlesque, Broadway Bares: Take Off will definitely put the lust in wanderlust.
According to press materials, this worldwide romp will feature dance vignettes “from a risqué red light district to a tantalizing taming of the bull; from a mega-hot Burning Man to a celebratory return to Stonewall, you’re invited on a worldwide romp with sexy dancers as your frisky flight crew, tour guides and cultural attachés.”
Created in 1992 by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Hairspray, The Full Monty), the soon-to-be Broadway director/choreographer invited six friends to join him for a night of go-go dancing at a New York City bar. That evening raised over $8,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Fast forward to 2018, where Broadway Bares: Game Night, a tantalizing twist on board games, raised a whopping $1.875 million. The 28 editions of Broadway Bares has raised more than $19.1 million.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDSis the major supporter of essential social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.
The two performances of Broadway Bares: Take Off are scheduled for 9:30pm and midnight. The evening is guaranteed to be some of the most fun you’ll have on a Sunday night, so get your tickets now.
Note – the shows do sell out.
For ticket info click here. Check out highlights from recent editions of Broadway Bares below.
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| ‘Broadway Bares: Game Night’ (photo: Evan Zimmerman) |
The dancers and choreographers have spent weeks not only learning and perfecting the scintillating numbers performed last night but campaigning online for donations.
BroadwayBares: Game Night, this year’s record-breaking edition of the annual spectacular, featured sexy, titillating production production numbers based on your favorite board games for two late night performances.
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| The cast of ‘Broadway Bares: Game Night’ play Battleship (screen capture) |
Directed by Nick Kenkel, the show featured sexy riffs on games like Battleship, Pictionary (“Striptionary”), Candy Land, Operation, Old Maid (who proved she was anything but), and more.
Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Bares: Game Night raised $1,875,090 with two standing-room-only performances on Sunday, June 17, 2018, at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
The Boys in the Band’s Matt Bomer, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins appeared in a special trivia game sketch.
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| Charlie Carver of ‘The Boys in the Band (screen capture)’ |
For each wrong answer, young Charlie had to remove an article of clothing until the penultimate moment when Zach Quinto ripped off Carver’s thong to screams from the packed-house.
Congrats to Tom Viola of Broadway Cares and Tony Award winner and creator of Broadway Bares, Jerry Mitchell, on another incredible night to help others!
Watch a few highlights below.
Good news for Broadway musical lovers! The original creative team for HAIRSPRAY will reunite for the upcoming December 7 airing of the Broadway tuner on NBC
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced the 2007 movie-musical version of Hairspray, will produce the live television edition.
The Wiz Live director Kenny Leon will take the helm for Hairspray.
Jerry Mitchell will repeat his duties from the Broadway mounting as choreographer.
Harvey Fierstein, who played Edna in the stage show, will adapt the script.
Original Hairspray composer-lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are also on the team for the live work.
I’m especially glad to see Jerry Mitchell return to the show. While the movie had it’s moments, I missed his clever, energetic choreography.
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Billy Porter’s final bow as Lola. We will always hold him in our hearts! ✨
Posted by Kinky Boots on Broadway on Friday, November 20, 2015
Regular readers of The Randy Report will remember when I interviewed Billy Porter (who I’ve known for over 20 years) for The Candi & Randy Show back in the summer of 2012 when I was choreographing a production of Sweet Charity in Oklahoma and Billy was appearing as our “Daddy Brubeck.”
Billy had just finished the first workshop of Kinky Boots and was headed to Chicago for the out-of-town tryout. He knew then the possibility that was ahead.
You can listen to the interview below.
Congrats Billy on a triumphant run! xoxo
Todd Graff, director of the indie hit film CAMP, has launched a new website that shares the big news – there will be a sequel titled, CAMP 2: FREAKS OF NATURE!
“In 2003, I was able to bring to life the story of a group of hilarious, talented, needy, at times psychopathic, and occasionally cross-dressing kids attending Camp Ovation. CAMP triumphantly premiered in Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, played all over the world, and thanks to many of you reading this, became a cult classic. I had so much fun making CAMP – filming on location at Stagedoor Manor in New York, casting Stephen Sondheim for his only movie appearance in history, and of course, introducing Anna Kendrick in her very first film, as a murderous understudy who poisons the star and belts out ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’.
“We need a sequel! And I’ve already written it. Don’t worry, the original stars are not playing counselors or some other lame device. Instead, we’re going meta! Plus we’re going to introduce some fabulous new additions, like Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone and a bevy of other reigning Broadway divas performing a demented version of ‘Steppin’ To The Bad Side’ from ‘Dreamgirls,’ to be staged by the one and only Jerry Mitchell.”
“I can’t wait to share what I have planned, but I need your help to make this dream a reality. So we’re going straight to YOU to fund this film.”
The original film followed a group of misfits who find themselves while attending a musical theater summer camp.
This morning, Broadway Bares revealed the theme of this year’s extravaganza – “Top Bottoms Of Burlesque.”
This year marks the 25th edition of the always sold-out fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and the return of creator and 2-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell to the helm.
The 2015 edition will fill NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Sunday, June 21.
In a lavish and thrilling extravaganza, Broadway Bares: Top Bottoms of Burlesque will feature a cast of colorful characters for every desire and fantasy. Broadway’s iconic personalities – from devilish divas to charismatic casting directors, luscious lyricists to studly stagehands – will combine the naughtiness of burlesque with the razzle-dazzle of Broadway.
Uber-sexy teaser video below. Click here for more info.
Clip description: Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell returns to Broadway Bares as director for the scintillating and titillating 25th celebratory edition of Broadway Bares, the annual charity event which benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.