After Hugh Jackman Sells His Shirts, 26th Annual Gypsy of the Year Breaks Fundraising Record for BC/EFA

The 26th annual Gypsy of the Year Competition raised a record-breaking $5,229,611 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The event has raised over $62.4 million for the organization since it began in 1989. The all-in-good-fun competition/variety show featuring “gypsies” of Broadway and off-Broadway’s best took place on December 8 and 9 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Following the December 9 performance, The River star Hugh Jackman, It’s Only a Play’s Nathan Lane and Judith Light took the stage to announce the grand total and present awards to the top fundraising companies and to the best performances in this year’s show.

The River took the title as top fundraiser, having raised $549,725 over the course of three weeks (thanks to Jackman aucitioning off his shirt after performances.) The Jackman-led drama will continue to raise money for the next three weeks to complete the six-week donation period other shows have done. It was followed by It’s Only a Play, which raised $464,559 over six weeks.

The cast of The Lion King took top honors for their onstage presentation—a socially charged dance that personified the struggles of racism and fight for equality. The cast of Pippin was also recognized for their performance –an acrobatic act set to Selah Sue’s “This World.”

The remaining shows that took top spots for their fundraising efforts are as follows:

Broadway (Musical)
Top Fundraiser: Kinky Boots - $233,544
1st Runner-up: Cabaret - $217,699
2nd Runner-Up: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - $195,773
3rd Runner-Up: The Book of Mormon - $193,181

Broadway (Play)
1st Runner-Up: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: $115,980

Off-Broadway (Play or Musical)
Top Fundraiser: Avenue Q - $19,237

National Tours
Top Fundraiser: Kinky Boots - $329,734
1st Runner-Up: Wicked (Munchkinland) - $257,880
2nd Runner-Up: The Book of Mormon (Latter Day) - $242,756
3rd Runner-Up: Wicked (Emerald City) - $205,386

Presenters for the show included Hedwig and the Angry Inch stars Michael C. Hall and Lena Hall and Kevin Duda, Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The judges panel consisted of You Can’t Take It With You’s Julie Halson, Aladdin stars Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed, Curious Incident headliner Alex Sharp, Jujamcyn Theaters Executive Vice President and BC/EFA Board of Trustees President Paul Libin, BC/EFA staffer Yvonne Ghareeb and Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction winners Lee Perlman and Peg Wendlandt.