Broadway Icon Carol Channing Set for Opening Number at 2010 Gypsy of the Year Competition

Tony Award winner Carol Channing has signed on to perform in the opening number of the 2010 Gypsy of the Year competition. The 22nd annual event, to be held on December 6 and 7 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Appropriately, the opening number will feature songs made famous by Channing, who starred in Hello, Dolly!, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and its sequel, Lorelei, among other shows. The actress, who will turn 90 years old in January, last played Dolly Levi in a 1995 Broadway revival of her signature show, winning a Tony for Lifetime Achievement that same year.

Channing’s number will be staged by choreographers Melissa Rae Mahon and Sean McKnight, with musical direction by Ben Cohn, special lyrics by Rob Krausz and costumes by Brian Hemesath.

Gypsy of the Year is the culmination of six weeks of fundraising by the casts of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, who compete to raise the most money for BC/EFA. The show includes performances by "gypsies" (and sometimes stars) in numbers created specifically for the event. Awards are presented to the companies that raise the most money and for the winning presentations.