Broadway Backwards, the annual benefit concert celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community via songs from the musical theatre, played Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre, current home of Wicked, March 10.
To open the concert, a gender expansive ensemble performed a somber medley reflecting on the dire situation the LGBTQIA+ community is currently in. Said medley featured snippets from "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan" from Carousel, "Somewhere" and "America" from West Side Story, "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line, "Giants in the Sky" and "No One Is Alone" from Into The Woods, "Tomorrow" from Annie, "Show Me" from My Fair Lady, "Another National Anthem" from Assassins, "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Follies, "Ol' Man River" from Show Boat, and "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Misérables.
The medley then built into a scenery-climbing rendition of "Defying Gravity" performed by Jordan Fisher, Javier Ignacio, and Gabriella Joy Rodriguez. Check out video of the performance above.
The show raised a record-breaking $1,111,788 to benefit Broadway Cares and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. The 2025 total bested the record set last year by more than $194,000. The one-night-only, annual event was produced by Broadway Cares. Broadway Backwards favorite and Tony nominee Jenn Colella (Suffs) returned for the fifth year to host the concert.
This year's performers included Bobby Conte (The Who's Tommy), Tony nominee Lorna Courtney (& Juliet), Nikki Renée Daniels (Once Upon a Mattress), Tony and Emmy nominee Eden Espinosa (Lempicka), Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot), Sydney James Harcourt (Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"), Tony nominee Dorian Harewood (The Notebook), Manu Narayan (Company), Jessica Phillips (Redwood), Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!), and Ryan Vasquez (The Notebook), as well as Tituss Burgess (Oh, Mary!), Tony winner Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd), Bradley Dean (Redwood), Dionne Figgins (A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical), Fisher (Urinetown), Lydia Gaston (The King and I), Tony nominee Joshua Henry (Into the Woods), Tony winner Gregory Jbara (Billy Elliott: The Musical), Adam Lambert (Cabaret), Tiffany Mann (Urinetown), Tony winner Kelli O’Hara (Days of Wine and Roses), Preston Perez (A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical), Kate (Kei) Tsuruharatani (Jagged Little Pill), Remi Tuckman (DRAG: The Musical), and Joy Woods (Gypsy).
What began as a small, grassroots concert performed at The Center in 2006 has grown into a highly anticipated event. In its previous 18 editions, Broadway Backwards has raised more than $7.9 million for Broadway Cares and The Center. Creator Robert Bartley returnd to direct and choreograph the show. He was joined by Ted Arthur and Mary-Mitchell Campbell as music supervisors, Nicholas Connors and Nick Wilders as music directors, and Chris Gurr as associate music director. Amanda LaMotte joined as choreographer, and Adam Roberts returned as choreographer and associate director. ARC’s Mark Brandon and Jarrett Reiche served as casting consultants.
Broadway Cares 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 theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
Visit BroadwayCares.org.
