It was an amazing night. The talent on that stage was amazing to see. Before Clay was introduced they were telling the story of Mossey, a LGBT teenager who recently committed suicide who was part of a LGBT program for teenagers. They told her story and talked about how something needs to be done to stem the rash of teen suicides. I was in tears. And then they introduced Clay saying this song is dedicated to all the LGBT Youth. His applause was polite when he was introduced. Then he sang.Quiet at first...and then the song Home built. He nailed that song. It was amazing and beautiful. I could hear that he had a cold but I think only a Clay fan who is so used to hearing him sing could have heard that tell tale. It didn't affect his singing in the least. He was wearing a blue tie and a gray sweater and pants. I can't remember what kind of pants...it was that Clay trance thing. I am pretty sure he was wearing pants. He had his hair spiked. Light brown? He looked so wonderful.The applause when he was done was deafening. He gave a quick bow...you know how he is and exited. The applause kept going at this huge crescendo. And someone in the wings must have pushed him back out because he peaked back out of the wings and came about 5 feet back out on stage and bowed again. DH said...why didn't he just stay out on stage and accept the applause? I told him...that's his thing...he always does that. What was also amazing was that after he was done the Director of the show came out to give his speech and said ....Thank you Clay...that was amazing or something along those lines. He gave Clay his props.I am so glad I went.
GatorNYBroadway Starjoined:6/19/08 Broadway BackwardsPosted On:2/8/11 at 09:23I found the evening pretty emotional and ended up shedding a few tears. I was not expecting the evening to focus as much on the recent suicides of LGBT youth, which is an issues that is really personal for me.I was particularly moved by "Summer Nights" performed by Farah Alvin and Jason Tam (with Jan Maxwell as the school principal). I know that sounds RIDICULOUS, but I think it was because I was about 12 years old when the movie was released and hearing Jason Tam sing Danny's part about "meeting a boy, cute as can be" unleashed a lot of joy that we as young gay kids growing up don't get to feel when we see these things portrayed on film, TV and the stage.Other favorites for me were "Cell Block Tango" performed by 6 hot guys and the Hunyak being Asian. Hilarious. Bobby Steggert can pretty much do no wrong in my opinion, and he and Robin De Jesus, Mo Rocca and the ensemble opened up the second act with "The Trolley Song' which I wish I could just watch over and over again.I think the best number though had to go to Tony Yazbeck, who knocked it out of the park with "The Music and the Mirror" complete with his asking Zach for a job in the chorus and what I believe to have been the same choreography that the Cassies have done. Somehow even when he was facing the mirror doing the more feminine looking parts of the choreography, he looked so sexy. I had an album of "show stopping numbers" when I was a teenager, and this song was on it...and Mr. Y stopped the show for me last night.There were also great solo performances:Clay Aiken (Home)Titus Burgess (Stars and the Moon)Deb Monk (On the Street Where You Live)Lilias White (Some Enchanted Evening)The show closed with F Murray Abraham and the ensemble singing "Hello, Young Lovers" along with a young man named JoJo Edward who shared his story of coming to terms with who he is and who he was meant to be with the help of The LGBT Center and its staff and programs.I can post all the other numbers later if anyone wants, just don't have time now.
Nanjeanne Posted Today, 06:31 AMI'll try to put my thoughts together about last night. It's a little hard because they are more feelings than thoughts and also kind of jumbled.I love the theater. As a child - ever since I was 6 years old, my parents would take me to see a musical. My first Broadwaay show was Mr. Wonderful with Sammy Davis Jr. I went to Performing Arts HS and lived in Manhattan since I was 14. I used to second-act shows, get student tickets, do standing room. Whatever I could. I think I saw Half a Sixpence with Tommy Steele 9 times and Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd with Anthony Newley at least a 1/2 dozen. I know, compared to Claymates and Spamalot - I was a slacker. But still. . . College and beyond - not just musicals. I loved dramas. Half-priced tickets were cheap back in the 60s and 70s. I saw Zero Mostel in Ulysses in Nightown, sitting in the balcony for $17. I remember the first time I ever saw John Malkovich and Joan Allen in Burn This - I was overwhelmed by their brilliance. Went 4 times and took everyone I could find. The original Equus with Anthony Hopkins and Peter Firth (first time I had ever witnessed Anthony Hopkins) took my breath away. Agnes of God with Elizabeth Allen, Amanda Plummer and Geraldine Page - spellbinding. Long way of saying that I am bewitched by the theater, find Broadway (and Off Broadway and regional and every form of theater) magical.So I was excited to be going to Broadway Backwards - whether Clay was a part of it or not. From the first number with Alan Cummings singing "Don't Tell Mama" from Caberet - I was so happy to be a part of this incredible event.Each number was strong and each performer was charismatic and exciting. When Hinton Battle came out to sing Will I ever Tell You? from Music Man . . . oh my goodness I was ecstatic. That man is amazing.Debra Monk followed him to sing an emotionally captivating On The Street Where You Live.At this point, I turned to MrNan and said "I'm nervous for Clay". It's not that I don't think Clay has a gorgeous voice and tons of charisma. It's just that the performers on that stage were so full of confidence and owned the stage. Their voices were incredibly strong. They moved with such assurance. And most of all, their ability to tell a story with their voice and body was intense.Dan Butler and Kirsten Wyatt (also the hosts) did I'll Never Be Jealous Again from Pajama Game - a song I used to sing (out of tune always) with my father -- and were sheer joy.Then Lillias White (from Fela) tore it up with a Ray Charles arrangement of Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific and was followed by Brian Charles Rooney's impassioned version of One Halloween/But Alive from Applause to close the first act with a bravura performance.By this point I was more than nervous. I was worried. These people were such pro's. So much talent on that stage. Everything about this show was first-rate. The orchestra was wonderful. The staging of the numbers were great. The dance ensemble was perfect. It was everything I love about live performance. The audience knew these performers. They had seen them in shows. There was so much respect. Every time they brought a standing microphone out onto the stage - I grabbed MrNan's hand thinking . . . "this is Clay".The second act started and I fell in love with Bobby Steggert who (along with Robin De Jesus) sang The Trolly Song from Meet Me In St. Louis. I just read he's going to star in the 2012 Broadway show of Disney's Dumbo. This young man is a-mazing.So next they bring out the standing mic - hand grab - but it's Len Cariou. I have seen that man in countless shows - the first time in Applause with Lauren Bacall and most recently in last season's Damages on tv. He is the epitome of a performer to me. He blew me away with Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered from Pal Joey. What a story teller. Touching, funny, poignent.The mic stayed there and I almost didn't want it to be Clay because I didn't want him to have to follow the applause Len Cariou got. Someone I was not familiar with at all walked out, Tituss Burgess and he sang a song I was not familiar with called Stars and the Moon from a show I'm not familiar with Songs For a New World. He originated the role of Sebastian in Little Mermaid and he's got a high tenor voice. He was mesmerizing. The song started and I wasn't sure where it was going and he had such amazing voice control and then there were punchlines and funny stuff and his timing was brilliant and the end hits you with an emotional pop. Wow.They clear the mic away for Bebe Neuwirth to kill on All I Care About Is Love from Chicago - and at this point I'm thinking . . . "maybe Clay is sick and he can't perform".Tony Yazbeck blows the audience away with The Music and the Mirror from Chorus Line and Brooks Ashmanskas and Denis O'Hare are totally adorable doing Marry The Man Today from Guys and Dolls and it's getting late - and they bring the mic out again and I grab MrNan's hand.Now for every performer - Dan and Kirsten give a short introduction with what shows they did or are doing on Broadway and what Tonys they have been nominated for or won. Now they start talking about a young gay woman who committed suicide and the plight of LGBT youth and then said the next song is dedicated to her. Then simply, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Clay Aiken. And BAM. He sold it. His voice has such nuance. It's not a straight "Broadway" voice. There's a bit of "pop" to it. But he had power and range and beautiful texture to it. I remember thinking when they announced his name - there was nice applause (we sat in row H so we had a good sense of the whole theater) but not the kind of name recognition and excitement you got when Len Cariou or Bebe Neuwirth were announced. Or Debra Monk or Karen Oliva (from West Side Story). This was a Broadway crowd. They weren't excited that it was Clay. They were waiting.My fandom has changed over the last year or so. I adore Clay but I don't listen to him as often as I used to. I'm happy when his songs come up on my iPod but I don't usually seek them out. I don't download clack very much. But when I see him live and he delivers like he did last night - I remember how he touches my very soul. He reached that audience. He sang for that young woman and all all the youth who have been bullied or felt alone and wanted to know there was a safe place called Home. He made a believer of those people sitting in the audience and when he was done they showed him their love and appreciation - not just for his talent - but for his story as well. And I felt it all over again.
When I think of homeI think of a place where there's love overflowingI wish I was homeI wish I was back there with the things I've been knowingWind that makes the tall grass bend into leaningSuddenly the raindrops that fall have a meaningSprinklin' the scene, makes it all cleanMaybe there's a chance for me to go backNow that I have some directionIt would sure be nice to be back homeWhere there's love and affectionAnd just maybe I can convince time to slow upGiving me enough time in my life to grow upTime be my friend, let me start againOh, suddenly my world's gone and changed it's faceBut I still know where I'm goingI have had my mind spun around in spaceAnd yet I've watched it glowingOh, if you're list'ning GodPlease don't make it hard to knowIf we should believe in the things that we seeTell us, should we run awayShould we try and stayOr would it be better just to let things be?Living here, in this brand new worldMight be a fantasyBut its taught me to loveSo it's real, real to meAnd I've learnedThat we must look inside our heartsTo findOh to find a world full of loveLike yoursLike mineLike home...
Laughter, longing and liberation combined with songs of love to fill the Longacre Theatre for the exhilarating 6th edition of BROADWAY BACKWARDS, a star-packed benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York.The only Broadway event custom-made for the gay and lesbian community, our friends and families, BROADWAY BACKWARDS 6 featured a stunning 64-person cast that included Tony Award winners Hinton Battle, Len Cariou, Alan Cumming, Debra Monk, Bebe Neuwirth, Denis O’Hare, Karen Olivo and Lillias White, Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham and American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken.The event, held February 7, 2011, raised a record-breaking $281,243 for the two organizations.BROADWAY BACKWARDS re-interprets the songs of musical theater by featuring women singing songs originally written for men and men singing songs written for women. By keeping the lyrics intact, including the pronouns, each song takes on an entirely new dimension. It’s Broadway in a whole new key.The evening kicked off with a rousing rebuke of the military’s soon-to-be-obsolete “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy toward gay troops. Until the law is fully revoked, soldiers still can’t “tell,” prompting Alan Cumming to plunge into a military-themed version of “Don’t Tell Mama” from Cabaret, the show which garnered him a Tony Award.Bebe Neuwirth returned to her Chicago roots, this time taking on the role of scheming lawyer Billy Flynn in the self-promoting “All I Care About is Love,” surrounded by a bevy of glamorous, feathery fan-whirling chorus girls.Clay Aiken, who appeared on Broadway in Spamalot, brought the house to tears with his heart-felt yearning for “Home” from The Wiz.Lillias White, Tony winner for The Life and most recently seen in Fela!, had audience members dancing in their seats and stopped the show cold, showing off seemingly limitless vocals with a Ray Charles arrangement of “Some Enchanted Evening.”Denis O’Hare, Tony winner for Take Me Out and currently starring in HBO’s True Blood, partnered with Brooks Ashmanskas for a hilarious, updated version of “Marry the Man Today” from Guys and Dolls.Tony Yazbek, who appeared as the scene-stealing Tulsa in the Patty Lupone revival of Gypsy, left the audience in awe after a breathtaking, heart-pounding interpretation of “Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line.The leading ladies from the original Broadway cast of In the Heights – Mandy Gonzalez and Karen Olivo – reunited for a new take on the show-stopping love song “When You’re Home.”F. Murray Abraham concluded the show to an emotional finale with “Hello Young Lovers” from the King and I, celebrating the courageous and brave in our community who stand-up to oppressors and bullies.Dan Butler and Kirsten Wyatt served as co-hosts for the evening.Broadway Backwards Creator Robert Bartley directed and choreographed with co-choreographer/associate director Kathryn Kendall and musical direction by Chris Haberl. The creative team also included lighting designer Paul Miller, costumer designer Philip Heckman and musical supervisor Patrick Vaccariello.
Musical numbers:“Don’t Tell Mama” from Cabaret performed by Alan Cumming with Reed Kelly, Alfie Parker Jr., Jody Reynard and Matt Steffens“You Could Drive A Person Crazy” from Company performed by Ward Billeisen, Colman Domingo and Jose Llana“When You’re Home” from In The Heights performed by Mandy Gonzalez and Karen Olivo“Summer Nights” from Grease performed by Farah Alvin and Jason Tam featuring Jan Maxwell with Amy Decker, Kurt Domoney, Jennifer Leah Gottlieb, Joe Grandy, Tim McGarrigal, Michael-Kennen Miller, Masaya Palmer, Danielle Erin Rhodes and Jeannine Elizabeth Yoder“Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You?” fromThe Music Man performed by Hinton Battle with Valerie Dowd, Kathryn Kendall, Charis Leos and Kristin Maloney“On the Street Where You Live” fromMy Fair Lady performed by Debra Monk“Cell Block Tango” from Chicago performed by Reed Kelly, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Patrick O’Neill, Alfie Parker Jr., Jody Reynard and Matt Steffens“I’ll Never Be Jealous Again” from The Pajama Game performed by Dan Butler and Kirsten Wyatt“Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific performed by Lillias White“One Halloween” and “But Alive” from Applause performed by Brian Charles Rooney and the Ensemble“The Trolley Song” Meet Me In St. Louis performed by Robin De Jesús and Bobby Steggert withMo Rocca and the Ensemble“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” from Pal Joey performed by Len Cariou“Stars and the Moon” from Songs For A New World performed by Tituss Burgess“All I Care About Is Love” from Chicago performed by Bebe Neuwirth with Jennifer Dunne, Robyn Hurder, Suzanne Hylenski, Pilar Millhollen, Dana Moore and Tonya Wathen“The Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line performed by Tony Yazbeck with Derek Hanson“Marry the Man Today” from Guys and Dolls performed by Brooks Ashmanskas and Denis O’Hare“Home” from The Wiz performed by Clay Aiken“Hello, Young Lovers” from The King and I performed by F. Murray Abraham with the Ensemble
