And the Gypsy of the Year Goes to… The Lion King Castmembers

You wouldn’t expect partial nudity, show tunes, comic relief and Broadway to be united all together on any given Tuesday afternoon. One step into the New Amsterdam Theater last Tuesday proved that the debaucherous, gut-wrenching good times, and awe inspiring performances of Gypsy of the Year could do just that, all in a two hour time slot.

The Gypsy of the Year Competition gives an award every fall to the cast of a Broadway show for best performance in the competition/variety show that follows a six week fundraising intensive for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids (BC/EFA). The participating Broadway and Off-Broadway shows’ cast members band together to create an original performance in hopes of being deemed Gypsy of the Year. Whether it be a parody skit, an original song, an excerpt from a show, or a dance performance, every act is as entertaining as the last. This year fifteen companies competed on stage for the award, but only one was awarded the coveted title.

This year’s winners from the cast of The Lion King out-shined all the others with a jaw dropping dance performance. In the piece “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” choreographed by Ray Mercer, the dancers from The Lion King daredevilishly danced atop an oversized ‘dinner-table’. While the audience gasped, and screamed “WORK!”, the sculpted dancers jumped, kicked, and flew from the towering table. The Runners up, Daniel Radcliffe and the cast of Equus, entertained the audience with scantily clad men in platform shoes galloping around in a show tune round-up.

Other casts competing included 13, A New Musical; August: Osage County; Grease; Gypsy; Hairspray; In the Heights; Mamma Mia; Spamalot; South Pacific; The Little Mermaid; Rock of Ages; and The Marvelous Wonderettes.

The biggest acknowledgment, however, goes to the whole of Broadway and Off-Broadway Family for raising $3,061,000 for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids. bcefa.org

Movmnt wrote a profile in March 2008 about Ray Mercer, the choreographer behind the 2008 Gypsy earned by The Lion King, Congratulations, and check out the portrait we dedicated him.