The Broadway community has always been one of the most charitable when it comes to raising money for HIV causes, and the live theater community didn't disappoint at its annual Broadway Backwards event.
Held earlier this month at Manhattan's New Amsterdam Theatre, 2023's Broadway Backwards raised over $765,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and New York's LGBT Community Center. As described by Broadway Backwards, the performance "is the only annual show on Broadway celebrating the LGBTQ+ community." Over 65 Broadway performers, including legends like Anthony Rapp and Lea Salonga, recreated beloved musical numbers from a queer lens. Host Jenn Colella helped put on "Willkommen" (from Cabaret, of course), while Corbin Bleu took on "Mein Herr." Salonga put her twist on "Love Who You Love" from A Man of No Importance, while Les Misérables’ "One Day More" was brought to a life as a modern group of people protesting at an LGBTQ+ equality march in Washington, D.C.
Since 1988, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has provided over $300 million for essential services for people with HIV, AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses. The LGBT Community Center has been serving queer Gotham since 1983. Fight out more about Broadway Backwards and Broadway Cares here and check out more photos below. Photos by Curtis Brown and Rebecca J. Michelson.
