BC/EFA Annual Report 2004 - Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS
NOTHIN’ LIKE
A DAME
MARCH 1, 2004
HEATHER
HEADLEY IN
CONCERT
MAY 27, 2004
There’s nothing like Nothing Like a Dame. Presented
by BC/EFA on March 1, at the St. James Theatre, the popular
event raised $250,000 for The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health
Initiative of The Actors’ Fund. Cynthia Nixon, Alfre Woodard,
and Tovah Feldshuh were among the celebrity hosts for this 9th
annual production. Laura Benanti, Kathy Brier, Carolee
Carmello, Kathleen Chalfant, Victoria Clark, Kate Clinton,
Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Christine Ebersole, Lauren Flanigan,
Bebe Neuwirth, Julie Halston, Ann Harada, Amanda Green, Dee
Hoty, Kate Monster, Christine Pedi, Tonya Pinkins, Chita
Rivera, Camille Saviola, Liz Smith, and Gay Willis were also on
the roster of luminaries appearing at the event.
Chase Brock and Rob Berman conceived this year’s opening
number, with Brock providing choreography and Berman the
arrangement and orchestration. Mary-Mitchell Campbell
conducted and provided musical direction ffor the number,
which featured a dancing chorus of red-gloved Dames and four
singing and dancing soloists: Sutton Foster, Nancy Lemenager,
Mamie Duncan Gibbs and Karen Ziemba. Among the many
highlights was a recurring comic bit by legendary leading lady and
Tony Award ® winner Zoe Caldwell (playing a stagehand!) and
audience favorite Idina Menzel, closing the first act with her
show-stopping song “The Wizard and I” from Wicked.
The opening number of Nothin’ Like A Dame featured a dazzling collection of
Broadway’s loveliest; Camille Saviola and Chita Rivera regret the lack of
“Class”; opera star Lauren Flanagan and Kathleen Chalfant perform a duet
from Tosca, in song and word, accompanied by Miriam Charney;
Phyllis Newman is gently encouraged to move through her remarks by our
special stagehand, legendary actress Zoe Caldwell.
Broadway and pop star Heather Headley – a longtime
friend of BC/EFA, best known to New York audiences for
her performance as Nala in The Lion King and her Tony Award® -
winning work in Aida – returned to the city of her earlier
triumphs for a one-night-only concert event entitled “Home."
Before a full house, the curtain came up on Heather in
silhouette in front of musical director Rob Mathes and an 18-
piece orchestra. The star’s assured handling of the evening’s
signature song, “Home” from The Wiz, let the audience know that
in the three years since she played her last performance in Aida,
she had lost none of the shimmering sound that had made her a
Broadway favorite. The first act continued with Headley’s superb
versions of such Broadway favorites as “Nothing," “My Heart
Belongs to Daddy” and “His Is the Only Music That Makes Me
Dance.” Clay Aiken, fellow RCA recording artist and American
Idol contestant, brought the act to a close with the duet “Can You
Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King.
The second act broke out of the Broadway mold and opened
with a smoking version of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” and
featured four numbers from Heather’s Grammy-nominated gold
CD “This is Who I Am.” Michael McElroy and The Broadway
Inspirational Voices joined Heather on the rousing gospel
numbers “Someway, Somehow” and “Never Leave Me Alone.”
Heather closed the show with a very emotional encore of “If It
Wasn’t for Your Love” from her CD.
Tony Award ® winning star Heather Headley; fellow RCA recording artist
and American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken joined Heather and brought down the house
with The Lion King's “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Aida co-star Adam Pascal
joined Heather on one of their duets from the show, “Written in the Stars.”
events
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