Celebrating its 16th year, the MCC Theatre held their annual spring gala benefit at Manhattan's Supper Club, April 8. As at last year's gala, the event gathered some Broadway notables for the signature musical revue Miscast, directed by Scott Wittman.

Miscast features Broadway's finest performers singing some of Broadway's most popular musical songs. The catch: The songs are from roles in which they would never be cast.  Joanna Gleason (Broadway's original Baker's Wife from Into the Woods and director of MCC's upcoming A Letter From Ethel Kennedy) started the evening with an introduction

The program of songs that followed included: Christine Ebersole and her 42nd Street castmate David Elder sang "I Loves You, Porgy" / "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" from Porgy & Bess; Aida's Simone sang Judas' "Heaven on Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar; Kristin Chenoweth (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and Hairspray's Harvey Fierstein played the husband and wife, respectively, in the duet "Do You Love Me?" from Fiddler on the Roof (reprising Fierstein's performance with singer Shawn Colvin at Bravo's "Broadway's Best"); SNL's Ana Gasteyer (The Rocky Horror Show) sang the song that Fred Astaire made famous, "One For My Baby (and One More for the Road)" from the 1943 movie-musical "The Sky's the Limit"; Rent's Jesse L. Martin performed the My Fair Lady classic "On The Street Where You Live"; Chenoweth also belted the Candide "jewel song" spoof "Glitter and Be Gay"; Fierstein took on the role of mother in a sneak peek at Hairspray's "Welcome to the Sixties" with co-star Marissa Jaret Winokur; Christine Ebersole closed the show with "Lullaby of Broadway" from 42nd Street.

Last year's event saw Patti LuPone singing "Trouble (Right Here in River City)" from The Music Man, Peter Gallagher crooning "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, Taylor Dayne handled Dreamgirls' showstopper "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and Adam Pascal took on A Chorus Line's "What I Did For Love."

For more information on MCC, visit their URL at www.mcctheater.com. — by Ernio Hernandez