Bucks County Playhouse Cabaret Raises $162,100 for BC/EFA

BUCKS COUNTY CABARET, a one-night-only concert featuring stage and screen stars Bebe Neuwirth and Malcolm Gets, raised an inspiring $162,100 in its first edition produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Held October 13, 2012, at the beautifully restored, historic Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA, the event featured Neuwirth and Gets alternating turns at center stage as they worked their way through an American songbook that included Kander and Ebb, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Noël Coward, and more.

"Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is thrilled to now be a part of such an incredible event," said Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola. "Broadway Cares awarded grants this year to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations, including 21 in Pennsylvania. And thanks to our work with the BUCKS COUNTY CABARET committee, we were introduced to a new organization in Bucks County called F.A.C.T. – Fighting AIDS Continuously Together. We’re thrilled that the money raised through this event will allow us to continue to do what we do for all these organizations while welcoming another one into the fold."

Neuwirth shined as she tapped into songs that helped shape her life and career. She began with a slinky version of “All The Jazz” from Chicago, a role that won Neuwirth the second of her two Tony Awards (the first was for Sweet Charity). She sprinkled her set with other Broadway classics and standards, including a moving version of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.”

Gets, a Tony Award nominee for Amour, showed his versatility by not only singing, but also taking a turn at the piano for a few songs and sharing his clever wit with customized lyrics to Coward's "World Weary" that highlighted the unique charm of Bucks County. Gets closed his portion of the program with a simple and stirring rendition of “The Sound of Music.”

Neuwirth, who's also a two-time Emmy Award winner for her role as ‘Lilith’ on “Cheers,” closed the show with a rousing rendition of Kander and Ebb's "But the World Goes 'Round," which launched an enthusiastic standing ovation for both performers.

Neuwirth was accompanied by her music director Scott Cady; Gets was accompanied by music director Alex Rybeck.

Following the performance, BC/EFA’s favorite auctioneer, Lorna Kelly, led a spirited live auction that included VIP experiences at Broadway Bares, The Book of Mormon, and Neuwirth’s upcoming Golden Age at Manhattan Theatre Club, as well as a private in-home concert from Gets.

Bucks County, located about 90 minutes from New York City, has a history of support for those affected by HIV/AIDS. For seven years, the community supported BUCKS COUNTY CABARET and Broadway Cares is honored to become the beneficiary of the eighth edition of the spectacularly entertaining evening.

BUCKS COUNTY CABARET was sponsored by The New York Times, Showtime Networks and United Airlines.

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 Broadway Cares has raised more than $225 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of the social service 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, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/BCEFA or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/BCEFA.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.