$654,000 Raised by Record-Setting Bares

Broadway Bares 15 “outstripped” last year’s event, raising $654,000 and setting a new fundraising record, well above the previous benchmark of $525,000, set in 2004.

In 15 years, Bares has raised a total of $3,479,000.

Titled “Rxxx, Take Two and Call Me in the Morning,” 2005’s medically-themed evening featured 196 dancers in 13 elaborate numbers, created by five choreographers – JeffAmsden, Greg Graham, Nick Kenkel, Dontee Kiehn and Rhonda Miller – under the expert direction of Denis Jones – superbly assisted by Peter Gregus – and executive producer and recent Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell, who launched Bares with seven dancers in 1991. More than 6,500 people attended the two shows (9:30 and midnight), which was held in Roseland for the 7^th year.

Guest stars included Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Bruce Vilanch, Jai Rodriquez (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”), Angie Schworer (The Producers) Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up), Christina Applegate (who, dressed as a naughty nurse, sent up her various Sweet Charity mishaps), and three stars from Spamalot – Christopher Sieber, Tim Curry (spoofing his signature role of Dr. Frank-n-furter) and David Hyde Pierce (spoofing his beloved character from TV’s “Frasier”, Dr. Niles Crane.

13 Lucky Numbers

The evening kicked off with live vocals from Shoshana Bean (Wicked), who sang “Doctor’s Orders” from the upcoming Marc Shaiman/Scott Whitman musical Catch Me If You Can and ended with a rousing rendition of “Boogie Fever” from Big River’s Michael McElroy.

The 11 numbers that followed included:

• “Rubbernecking,” featuring dancer’s swinging stethoscopes to the dance remix of the Elvis song; 
• “Viagra-Meata-Vegamin” opened with Brent Barrett in a 1950’s style commercial based on the classic “I Love Lucy” episode; 
• Antigravity’s “Banco de Sperma” was a popular number, featuring burlesque headliner Dirty Martini as a balloon-covered egg, pursued by acrobatic sperm; 
• “Strip Tuck” turned “big butt” girls into femme fatales while the “surgeon” on call played by Andrew Asnes transformed himself into Jen Cody’s dream date – played by Bares veteran favorite Rachelle Rak; 
• “The Study of Man” offered solo moments for this year’s poster boy Timothy Bish with Michael Balderramma as DaVinci’s Vetruvian Man 
• “Candy Strippers” delivered on its title with the leggy ladies from La Cage aux Folles as exaggerated peppermint, Twizzler, M&M, Hershey Kiss, Peanut Butter cup, and Lifesaver girls, coercing a hunky dancer to take his “spoonful of sugar” 
• “Asylum” turned the tables on its mistress of darkness leaving her prisoners writhing in pleasure 
• “The Big Rod Number” offered Avenue Q’s Barrett Foa and “Rod” enjoying a chorus line of bare backsides; 
• “Cherokee Shaman,” which included gravity-defying moves performed to the music of Cher, was this year’s inspired offering by Las Vegas-based troupe “The Living Art of Armando”; 
• “Therapy” teamed up Broadway power couple John Seyla (Movin’ Out) and Lisa Gajda (Spamalot), with a line of 19 show-girl babes; 
• “Sex Ed” offered a rather reserved teacher at “Rydem High” losing his inhibitions with a little help from a very uninhibited class.

After the final number of the 9:30 show, Jerry Mitchell addressed the audience and received a check for $75,000 from MAC Cosmetics CEO John Demsey. MAC not only offered this very generous financial sponsorship, but donated all the makeup and makeup artists for the event as well. Additional sponsors were Adam Raphael Photography, Absolut Vodka, Next Magazine, 1-800-Postcards, and Out Magazine.

“We support many organizations and dozens of events every year,” said Demsey standing before the full cast of BARES and over 3,500 ticketed guests. “But this is our home town event – and it is truly our favorite!”

The Right Rotation

Both shows ended with lucrative turns around the stage by all of the evening’s dancers, with donation-inducing commentary for the midnight show provided by Sieber and Jackson. This year’s “Rotation” raised $32,223 in sweaty bills (from thousands of $1 and $5 – to the occasional $50 and $100) tucked into the g-strings of Broadway’s hottest male-and-female dancers, almost doubling 2004’s total of $18,000. A personal check for $10,000 was folded and deftly placed in the shorts of “rotation leader” Chris Sieber by his fellow “Spamalot” star David Hyde Pierce in the last minutes of the midnight rotation. Thank you, David!!!!

As always, weeks of planning, promotion and rehearsal went into this year’s Bares, which was produced by BC/EFA staffers Michael Graziano and Anthony LaTorella with an army of volunteers, lead through their paces backstage by production stage manager extraordinaire Kimberly Russell and 20 additional stage managers.

Without question, Broadway Bares 15 has set the bar for all future events.

SPONSORS:
Adam Raphael Photography, LLC
Absolut Vodka
Next Magazine
1-800-Postcards
Out Magazine

Art Design: Spotco