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Broadway favorites Harvey Fierstein, J. Harrison Ghee, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Robyn Hurder, Peppermint and Jelani Remy will make special appearances in Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home premiering online this Sunday, June 20, 2021.
In Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home, Peppermint joins the cast to perform “Strip,” a new song by Frank Boccia, and Armstrong reveals more than his home exercise regime in a sweaty opening number. Tony Award winner Fierstein makes a special appearance as the show begins, with Ghee, Hurder and Remy each sharing the impact of donations made throughout the stream.
In addition to the newly announced special guests, 170 of New York City’s hottest dancers will perform sizzling numbers created across the city under strict COVID safety protocols. The annual, modern-day striptease show is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Combining its signature blend of dance and striptease with cinematic filming techniques this year, Twerk from Home is a more up close and intimate Bares than ever before. Fourteen all-new concept videos put a tantalizing twist on being stuck at home, from lusting after your virtual trainer to a video conference where pants are optional. Celebrating bodies of every shape and size, the cast of Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home knows the best part of getting dressed up is the undressing.
The free and frisky stream, which for the second year replaces the in-person event because of the pandemic, streams at 9 pm Eastern and can be watched at iHeartRadioBroadway.com
Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home is directed by Bares creator and Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell with co-directors Laya Barak and Nick Kenkel. The show will include choreography by Barak, Kenkel, John Alix, Al Blackstone, Frank Boccia, Karla Puno Garcia, Jonathan Lee, Ray Mercer, Dylan Pearce, Jenn Rose, Luis Salgado, Michael Lee Scott, Gabriella Sorrentino, Kellen Stancil, Rickey Tripp and James Alonzo White.
Costumes for the virtual presentation will be designed by Sam Brooks, Kenwyn Dapo, Jess Gersz, Alexander Cole Gottlieb, Jennifer Jacob, Jeff Johnson-Doherty, James Nguyen, Nicolas Putvniski, Justin Quackenbush, Brendan Tufts, Jeffrey Wallach, TC Williams and DWWithrow. Caite Hevner serves as video production manager, joined by more than a dozen editors and directors of photography. Benedict Braxton-Smith leads the audio production team of sound and music editors. Bares veteran Johnny Milani returns as production stage manager, leading a team of more than 20 stage managers. The art for Broadway Bares: Twerk from Homefeatures Yancy Greene as photographed by RobertoAraujo.
The celebratory finale, filmed outside in the heart of Times Square, is co-produced by HunterPark Productions.
Though the stream is free, donations are welcome. Every dollar donated will help those across the country affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and other critical illnesses receive healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling and more.
Broadway Bares’30th anniversary celebration, originally set for June 21, 2020, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The in-person event is set to return in 2022 and will mark the 30th anniversary milestone then.
Broadway Bares was created in 1992 by Mitchell, then a Broadway dancer, as a way to raise awareness and money for those living with HIV/AIDS. In Broadway Bares’ first year, Mitchell and six of his friends danced on a New York City bar and raised $8,000. Since then, Broadway Bares has raised more than $21 million for Broadway Cares.