As BroadwayWorld previously reported, later today, August 31 at 7pm, two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly, Finian’s Rainbow) will host “Extraordinary: Broadway Sings for Aaron Lazar,” a special one-night benefit concert at Bell Theater at Bell Works, directed by Hunter Foster with music direction by Nate Patten, produced by Axelrod’s Executive Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco. 100% of the funds raised at “Extraordinary: Broadway Sings for Aaron Lazar” will be donated directly to Lazar.
Kate will be joined on stage by many of Aaron’s favorite Broadway stars and friends, including two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (Wicked, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can, The Last Five Years), Miguel Cervantes (Hamilton), two-time Tony winner Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza, Kimberly Akimbo), Katie Rose Clarke (The Light in the Piazza, Wicked, Miss Saigon, Merrily We Roll Along), Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights, Wicked, Hamilton), three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch (Bells are Ringing, The Wild Party, Beauty and the Beast), Kara Lindsay (Newsies, Wicked, Beautiful ), Michael Minarik (Les Misérables, Rock of Ages, Matilda), Tony nominee Christiane Noll (Jekyll & Hyde, Ragtime, Dear Evan Hansen), Jessica Phillips (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Next to Normal), two-time Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Holiday Inn, Chess), Scarlett Strallen (Mary Poppins, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), and Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck (On the Town, Finding Neverland, Chicago, Gypsy). Other performers will be announced. The concert will also include a special onstage reunion of the Axelrod cast of The Bridges of Madison County.
In a recent interview with BroadwayWorld, Lazar said that he is grateful for the support from the Broadway community and beyond amid his journey living with slow-moving ALS.
“I am totally blown away,” the beloved stage actor, 50, tells BroadwayWorld of the response he’s seen since a GoFundMe went live June 21 to aid in his expensive treatment costs.
“It’s a bit surreal,” he says. “Thousands of people have donated. Many of the folks are in the Broadway community, and some of them I’ve never even worked with. And whether the donation is big or small — five bucks or $5,000 — every single donation is an act of love.”
Lazar was diagnosed with the neurological disease two days into rehearsal for a 2022 regional production of The Bridges of Madison County after he began experiencing symptoms in the summer of 2021.
Tune in at 7pm ET to watch the live stream.
