Chita Rivera, Adam Pascal, et al. to Perform at BROADWAY BACKWARDS 7, 3/5

BROADWAY BACKWARDS 7, a one-night-only event produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefiting Broadway Cares and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center will be held Monday, March 5 at 8 PM at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street). Perfromers for the event have just been announced, and included in the lineup are: Chita Rivera, Adam Pascal from Memphis The Musical, Andrew Rannells from The Book of Mormon on Broadway, Bruce Vilanch, Sierra Boggess, Telly Leung from Godspell & Glee, Bryan Batt, Robin de Jesús & Shawna M. Hamic from Les Miserables on Tour.

Tickets are available exclusively at broadwaycares.org or by calling (212) 840-0770, ext. 268. Prices start at $75. This year will mark the introduction of the new "Backstage & Beyond" ticket package, which includes the opportunity to see the dress rehearsal, exclusive backstage access, "meet and greet" with some of the stars of Broadway Backwards, premium seats for the show and more.

BROADWAY BACKWARDS is the only annual Broadway event custom-made for the gay and lesbian community, their friends and families. It features some of Broadway's biggest names singing songs originally written for the opposite gender: women singing songs written for men and men singing songs written for women. By keeping the lyrics intact, including the original pronouns, each song takes on a new dimension. BROADWAY BACKWARDS gives the audience a chance to see and hear some of the most treasured songs of the Great White Way in a whole new key.

Creator Robert Bartley will again direct and choreograph with musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Last year's sold-out show featured dazzling performances from an impressive line-up of stars who collectively boasted one Academy Award, 11 Tony Awards and 23 Tony Award nominations.

"I consider myself blessed to be able to collaborate with so many extraordinary artists to create something that celebrates the most wonderfully universal thing of all – love," Robert Bartley said. "In doing so, together, we are able to raise funds to assist two organizations I deeply believe in, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the LGBT Center of New York, and support so many here in New York City and around the country. I can't think of a better way to do that than with some of the greatest songs of the Great White Way sung by performers we all admire and love."

BC/EFA Executive Director Tom Viola explained, "BROADWAY BACKWARDS has not only grown into a major fundraiser for Broadway Cares and the Center, but also offers its audience the chance to see and hear the best of Broadway in a way we haven't heard before. At last year's BROADWAY BACKWARDS, we had the privilege of seeing the magnificent Bebe Neuwirth turn the tables on one of the musicals for which she is known and won her second Tony Award, Chicago. Bebe sang 'All I Care About is Love' with a chorus of gorgeous women and those signature fans from the show. Seeing Tony Yazbeck perform the entire 'Music and the Mirror' song and dance from A Chorus Line opposite Derek Hanson's Zack was something very special for this audience. And Clay Aiken and Lillias White each brought the house down with, respectively, a rousing rendition of 'Home' from The Wiz and a special Ray Charles arrangement of South Pacific's 'Some Enchanted Evening.'"

BROADWAY BACKWARDS began as a grassroots concert performed at the Center in 2006. In subsequent years, the event grew quickly, performing Off-Broadway at 37 Arts, Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont, and last year at Broadway's Longacre Theatre.

Tickets range from $75 to $1,000, with additional benefactor packages available.

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 BC/EFA has raised more than $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

BC/EFA awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.

For more information, visit broadwaycares.org, follow us at twitter.com/BCEFA or like us at facebook.com/BCEFA.

A beacon of hope for 28 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, HIV/AIDS services, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs. The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos