Fran Weissler
Sarah Paulson
Laura Benanti
by: Brian Scott Lipton
One of the highlights of the busy Spring benefit season, MCC Theater’s Annual “Miscast” Gala was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday, March 30th and raised a record-setting one million dollars for the Off-Broadway company.
Aasif Mandvi
This year’s Gala honored Tony Award-winning producer Fran Weissler, who (along with her husband Barry) is currently represented on Broadway by “Chicago” and “Finding Neverland,” along with award-winning stage, television, and film actress Sarah Paulson, who starred in MCC’s production of “Colder Than Here” and “Still Life”.
Among the many celebrities on hand to celebrate these women were Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker, Erin Davie, Halley Feiffer, Judith Light, Steven Lutvak, Isaac Mizrahi, Emily Padgett, Lily Rabe, Elizabeth Reaser, Stephen Schwartz, and Holland Taylor, to name a few.
As always, the benefit concluded with the “Miscast Revue,” in which a group of celebrated Broadway veterans performed songs from shows or characters in which they would not be normally cast. Acclaimed actor and “Daily Show” correspondent Aasif Mandvi was the host of the event.
This year’s “Miscast” program included the following songs:
Annaleigh Ashford: “The Land of Lola” (“Kinky Boots”)
Laura Benanti and Jessie Mueller: “Agony” (“Into the Woods”)
Uzo Aduba and Ben Platt: “A Little Priest” (“Sweeney Todd”)
Jessie Mueller: “Johanna” (“Sweeney Todd”)
Joshua Henry: “Natural Woman” (“Beautiful”)
Annaleigh Ashford: “Slide Some Oil” (“The Wiz”)
Laura Benanti and Christopher Fitzgerald: “16 Going on 17” (“The Sound of Music”)
Leslie Odom, Jr. “Another Hundred People” (“Company”)
Andrew Rannells: “Meadowlark” (“The Baker’s Wife”)
Leslie Odom Jr., Joshua Henry, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jeremy Jordan, Ben Platt, and Walter Bobbie: “Cell Block Tango” (“Chicago”)
Betsy Wolfe: “Let It Sing” (“Violet”)
Jeremy Jordan: “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (“Funny Girl”)
*Video Interviews: Brian Lipton Photos/Video: Sandi Durell
