Every year Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids mounts an annual fundraiser called Gypsy of The Year Competition in which Broadway’s best spread messages of unity, hope and resilience through satire, song and dance.
The 28th edition took place December 5 and 6, 2016 and celebrated six weeks of dedicated fundraising from 55 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies, and raised $4,492,636 for Broadway Cares. The grand total was announced Tuesday by Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo and Jessie Mueller and Hamilton star Javier Muñoz following two incredible days of performances. Erivo, Mueller and Muñoz also presented the awards to the top fundraisers and best performances across the two afternoons.
The company of Hamilton the multi-Tony award winning show which has also made the President-Elect’s ever growing Sh-t List, took top honors for best onstage presentation. In “America,” the cast mashed up the music and lyrics of Bob Marley and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the poetry of Langston Hughes into a call for peace and equality in our country. It is a powerfully striking integration of song and word led by Javier Muñoz and Syndee Winters which is so perfect for the country’s mood right now.