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On Monday evening, August 31, a lineup of stars from Broadway and beyond gathered at Bell Theater at Bell Works to celebrate the journey of Broadway star and New Jersey native Aaron Lazar, whose battle with ALS began back in 2022, a diagnosis he received while performing in the Axelrod Performing Arts Center’s production of The Bridges of Madison County. Check out photos of the show.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to progressive muscle weakness and paralysis. Thanks to the sponsorship support of two local New Jersey charities, Cabaret for Life and The Light of Day Foundation, all proceeds from “Extraordinary: Broadway Sings for Aaron Lazar” are being donated directly to Lazar and his family to support his ongoing battle. To date, the concert has raised $50,000 from ticket donations and individual contributions.
Beyond the sold-out show at Bell Theater at Bell Works, the concert was livestreamed on YouTube and promoted by Broadway World and Playbill. It can still be viewed on the Axelrod’s YouTube channel, and the link is still active for donations. Aaron Lazar’s GoFundMe account is also still active and recently exceeded $500,000.
The concert was directed by Tony nominee Hunter Foster with music direction by Nate Patten and produced by Axelrod Executive Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco. Two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin co-hosted the concert with the hilarious Michael Minarik (Les Misérables, Rock of Ages, Matilda), who awkwardly donned multiple costumes in tribute to his best friend Lazar, whose own Broadway career includes leads in 10 shows (his debut at age 15 as Enjolras in Les Misérables, Raul in The Phantom of the Opera, Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza and more).
Miguel Cervantes, who has played the title role in Hamilton on Broadway over 2000 times, opened the concert with a hilarious re-write of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s title song dedicated to “Aaron Scott Lazar.” Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck tapped his way through “All I Need is the Girl,” which he performed on Broadway in the musical Gypsy.
Two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz shared a song from his Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels called “Nothing is Too Wonderful to be True,” a beautiful message of hope and miracles. Two cast members from The Light in the Piazza, who shared the stage at Lincoln Center with Lazar, performed as well: two-time Tony winner Victoria Clark sang “A Horse with Wings” by Ricky Ian Gordon and Katie Rose Clarke sang the title song “The Light in the Piazza,” which was her first Broadway role.
Three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch accompanied himself on guitar to sing “Whistle Down the Wind,” Kara Lindsay serenaded the crowd with “Thank You for the Music” from Mamma Mia!, Tony nominee Christiane Noll, currently touring with The Sound of Music, sang “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and Jessica Phillips performed “I’m a Part of That” from The Last Five Years.
Tony nominee Patrick Wilson took to the stage with his 17-year-old son Kalin (“Kal”) Wilson to sing “Man” from his Broadway show The Full Monty. Tony nominee for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Norm Lewis, made a surprise appearance and performed “The Impossible Dream” as a special tribute to Lazar, whose album of the same name received a Grammy nomination last year.
In the final moments of the concert, Baldwin sang “Always Better” from The Bridges of Madison County, supported by members of the Axelrod cast, who concluded the evening with Bill Finn’s hopeful anthem, “I Feel So Much Spring” from the musical A New Brain.
Lazar’s parents, Paul and Cheryl Lazar, and his sister Dana Fallis, were in the audience.
Lazar, who was able to watch the livestream from his home in California, shared with the company, “To have so many extraordinary Broadway friends, Bridges family, colleagues and artists I admire come together and volunteer their time and talent solely for me and my family was overwhelming in the most beautiful way.”
“I was completely blown away by you all,” he continued. “Thank you for your generosity and love. I felt like I was right there on stage singing with you. And that indeed was extraordinary.”
To make a donation, visit www.axelrodartscenter.com/extraordinary-aaron-lazar.
Photo Credit: Mark Krajnak
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