“Is this a gay pageant?”
That was the question that comedian/actress Jackie Hoffman offered the crowd at the start of the sixth annual Broadway Beauty Pageant at Manhattan's Symphony Space on March 19. Hoffman’s plaintively delivered inquiry was nonetheless rhetorical: the show saw five of New York’s hottest chorus boys doing pirouettes, belting showtunes and, of course, stripping down to their skivvies in pursuit of the coveted “Mr. Broadway” title.
Taking home the crown was Andrew Chappelle, currently starring as Eddie in “Mamma Mia!” at the Winter Garden Theatre. Though we won’t argue that the sight of Chappelle in his “Wizard of Oz”-inspired swim trunks -- paired, naturally, with a rainbow-shaped headdress and “ruby” sneakers -- wasn’t glorious in its own right, the actor really shone through during the evening’s talent category, opting for a laugh-out-loud, delightfully raunchy stand-up routine (which led Hoffman to dub him “Andrew Dice Gay").
But all the Broadway beefcake also came with a beneficent cause, as proceeds from the event went to the Ali Forney Center (AFC), the nation’s largest organization dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth, which Executive Director Carl Siciliano described as “a cathedral rising out of our community, not built of stones but out of acts of love.”
He added, "The fundamental act of love is the kids being able to love themselves."
Take a look at some photos from the Broadway Beauty Pageant below:
Before You Go
