Red Bucket Follies

Monday, December 8, 4:30 pm
Tuesday, December 9, 2 pm
New Amsterdam Theatre
214 West 42nd Street, NYC

The generosity and compassion of the theater community will once again take center stage as iconic #RedBuckets return to theater lobbies in New York City and across the country. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ in-theater fundraising tradition returns to unite audiences, casts and crews in a shared act of creativity and kindness. 

The six weeks of fundraising will culminate in Red Bucket Follies, the beloved industry legacy of unforgettable performances and original numbers created by the best of Broadway.

At Tuesday’s performance of Red Bucket Follies, special guests Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Felton, Tony winner Jonathan Groff and Tony winner Jane Krakowski will announce the top fundraising shows and winner of the best onstage presentation.

Red Bucket Follies will also feature three-time Tony nominee Jessica Hecht, Tony winner Kecia Lewis and Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Marc Shaiman.

Grammy winner Kurt Elling and Tony nominee Christopher Sieber will both perform as representatives of their shows. Other Broadway shows set to share original songs, skits and dances include Hamilton, Hell’s Kitchen, Just in Time, Mamma Mia!, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Waiting for Godot as well as Off-Broadway’s Vape! The Grease Parody. Representing Dancers Responding to AIDS, Leggybones Physical Theater will share their acrobatic Nocturne.

Donate to Participating Shows

A panel of distinguished judges will determine best presentation honors at Tuesday’s performance. This year’s judges are Kate Baldwin, Jenni Barber and Will Burton, T.R. Knight and Louis McCartney, Brad Oscar, Emma Pittman and Kara Young. Also joining the panel are Amy Abravanel, Annie Silver and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots in a live auction featuring exclusive once-in-a-lifetime experience and VIP packages at the 39th annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

Red Bucket Follies will also include a musical tribute to the shows that fundraised this season, performed by a special gathering of Forever Plaid alumni: Bruce Blanchard, Paul Castree, David Engel and Larry Raben.

Ultimate Broadway buff Seth Rudetsky, host of SiriusXM’s “On Broadway” channel, returns to lead the festivities for the 15th year. The opening number is directed and choreographed by Andrew Turteltaub. The show also will include a number directed and choreographed by Chaz Wolcott honoring the national touring shows that participated in the fall fundraising. 

Participating in the #RedBuckets fundraising are Broadway’s & Juliet, Aladdin, Art, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Buena Vista Social Club, Chicago, Death Becomes Her, The Great Gatsby, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Just in Time, Liberation, The Lion King, Little Bear Ridge Road, Mamma Mia!, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Oh, Mary!, Operation Mincemeat, The Outsiders, The Queen of Versailles, Ragtime, Six, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Waiting for Godot and Wicked; Off-Broadway’s Heathers, Little Shop of Horrors, Messy White Gays, The Play That Goes Wrong and Prince F; and the national tours of A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical; Beauty and the Beast; Hamilton – Angelica; Kimberly Akimbo; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; The Notebook; Six – Boleyn; Some Like it Hot; The Sound of Music and Wicked – Munchkinland.

The #RedBuckets appear in theaters twice a year during six committed and compassionate weeks of competitive fundraising in the spring and fall. This year’s Fall Fundraising Campaign continues through Sunday, December 7. 

Since 1989, the 33 editions of the Fall Fundraising Campaign have raised $104 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Red Bucket Follies is sponsored by The New York Times.

Watch highlights from Red Bucket Follies in 2024