On Monday, June 22nd, the first annual
Born for Broadway was held at New World Stages, in NYC. Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, with musical direction by Larry Yurman, the cabaret-style event featured a who’s who of talent from Broadway stages and beyond, as well as anecdotal remarks from relatives and close friends of Christopher, Dana and the Reeve Foundation. The incredibly talented cast included performers such as James Naughton, Kate Baldwin, Malcolm Gets, Julia Murney and Aaron Lazar. Hosted by the always entertaining, Richard Kind, all proceeds from the benefit will go to support the programs of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
Born for Broadway first began as a student-sponsored musical revue at Marymount Manhattan College, where event founder Sarah Galli (pictured with Richard Kind) was enrolled as a performance major. Galli founded the event as a way to combine her two greatest passions; her love of the theatre and her desire to raise funds for spinal cord research. Galli's brother was spinal cord injured 11 years ago and is a high level quadriplegic.
One of the highlights of
Born for Broadway, was an extraordinary rendition of “Here’s Where I Stand” by
Ali Stroker. Ali, who recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, was spinal cord injured in a car accident at the age of two, but she never let her injury stand in the way of her dream of being an actress and singer. Her brilliant performance on Monday night brought the house down, and also served as a hopeful reminder that, like the title of Christopher’s book,
Nothing Is Impossible.
Check out more of the pics.
Aimee Hunnewell
Reeve Foundation
