Tovah Feldshuh Hosts Broadway Beauty Pageant March 19; Jackie Hoffman, Tonya Pinkins Among Judges

By Michael Gioia
and Andrew Gans
19 Mar 2012

Tovah Feldshuh
Tovah Feldshuh
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

Four-time Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh (Golda's Balcony, Lend Me a Tenor, Sarava, Yentl) hosts the sixth annual Broadway Beauty Pageant March 19 at Symphony Space.

The annual event, scheduled to begin at 8 PM, benefits New York’s Ali Forney Center. The Broadway Beauty Pageant, directed by Ryan J. Davis, is written and conceived by Jeffery Self. Christopher Denny is the musical director.

Participants include Andrew Chappelle (Mamma Mia!), Wilkie Ferguson (Porgy and Bess), Corey Mach (Godspell), Jesse Swimm (Mary Poppins) and Anthony Wayne (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), who will be judged by Jackie Hoffman (The Addams Family), pop culture columnist Michael Musto and Tony winner Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change).

Brent Barrett (Chicago) and past Pageant winners Frankie James Grande (Mamma Mia!), Michael Cusumano (Chicago) and Anthony Hollock (Hair) are set to perform.

The Broadway Beauty Pageant, according to press notes, "will feature male cast members representing their respective Broadway shows, competing for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. The contestants will go head to head in front of a panel of celebrity judges, but ultimately, the final vote is in the audience's hands."

The Ali Forney Center was started in June 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. They have become the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth.

The Broadway Beauty Pageant is presented by Time Warner NYC, HBO and The Corcoran Group, and produced by Ryan J. Davis, Wil Fisher and Matthew Oberstein.

Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. For more information and tickets, call (212) 864-5400 or visit www.SymphonySpace.org or www.BroadwayBeautyPageant.com.