Adams, Maynard, Etc. Among Mr. Broadway Contestants

Contestants have been announced for Mr. Broadway 2007, the inaugural male Broadway beauty pageant, set for Monday evening, April 30th , 8pm, at New World Stages (340 West 50 th St.).  The event will benefit the Ali Forney Center.

The event will feature male cast members representing their respective Broadway shows.  Contestants include Nick Adams (Pirate Queen), Ward Billeisen (Curtains), Frankie James Grande (Mamma Mia!), Kenway Kua (Wicked), Tyler Maynard (Mary Poppins), Paul McGill (A Chorus Line ), Arbender Robinson (Hairspray) and Nick Sanchez (Tarzan).  Contestants will compete for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. 

Each of the contestants will go head to head in front of celebrity judges, but ultimately, the final vote is in the audience's hands.  The judges are Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up, Xanadu, United 93), and Seth Rudetsky (Rhapsody in Seth, Chatterbox).

Mr. Broadway 2007 is written and conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, with musical direction by Eric Svejcar .  The pageant includes original songs by Lisa Lambert (Tony Award-winner for The Drowsy Chaperone), Glen Kelly (The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone), Eric Svejcar (Caligula), Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel.  The evening is produced by Ryan J. Davis, Nick Malone and Jeffery Self, in association with Tim Hur.

The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City.  They are committed to providing LGBT youth with safe, dignified, nurturing environments where their needs can be met and where they can begin to put their lives back together.  AFC is also dedicated to promoting awareness of the plight of homeless LGBT youth in the United States with the goal of generating responses on local and national levels from government funders, foundations and the LGBT community.

Tickets for Mr. Broadway 2007 are available through Telecharge.com and range from $50, $100, and $250 with a limited number of VIP tickets available for $500, which includes admission to a pre-show cocktail party. Business and private sponsorships are available by contacting MrBroadway2007@gmail.com .