Photo by Aubrey ReubenHairspray and Urinetown took home the top honors at the 2002 Gyspy of the Year. Hairspray raised $375,607 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, besting the second place Rent ($237,689) by more than $100,000. The fundraiser runner-ups were Thoroughly Modern Millie ($143,890), Mamma Mia! ($136,766) and Flower Drum Song ($114,802). With a typically acidic skit aimed at Equity's waffling under producer pressure for special touring contracts, not to mention their Broadway fellows Thoroughly Modern Millie, Flower Drum Song and Hairspray, Urinetown won the Best Skit Prize. Les Miserables, introduced by Colm Wilkinson and featuring one hundred former and current cast members singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?," was the runner-up. Altogether the six weeks of fall fundraising netted $2,275,658 for BC/EFA.
— By Christine Ehren
