More Broadway favorites have been added to the roster of actors performing at the upcoming benefit concert of Mark Campbell's song cycle Songs From an Unmade Bed, set for September 15 at the Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall in NYC.
Newly joining the lineup are Tony winner Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill), Katie Rose Clarke (Dolly), and 2025 Tony nominee Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!). The previously announced cast includes the original production’s star, Michael Winther (Flying Over Sunset); Tony winner BD Wong (Jurassic Park films, M. Butterfly), who starred in a virtual version of the song cycle during the pandemic; composer Debra Barsha; Max Chernin (Parade); Darius de Haas (Shuffle Along); Alexis Michelle (TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race); Manu Narayan (Company); Zak Resnick (Floyd Collins); John Riddle (The Phantom of the Opera); Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill); and Davóne Tines (The Gospel at Colonus).
Songs From an Unmade Bed, a song cycle that explores the inner musings and romantic life of a gay man living in New York City, was created by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy-winning lyricist and librettist Mark Campbell with 18 composers: Debra Barsha, Mark Bennett, Peter Foley, Jenny Giering, Peter Golub, Jake Heggie, Stephen Hoffman, Lance Horne, Gihieh Lee, Steven Lutvak, Steve Marzullo, Brendan Milburn, Chris Miller, Greg Pliska, Duncan Sheik, Kim D. Sherman, Jeffrey Stock, and Joseph Thalken.
The show’s original music director, Kimberly Grigsby, will return with cellist Christopher Cortez and percussionist Shane Shanahan. The upcoming performance will also feature the premiere of a new song by Campbell and composer Jake Landau as part of a tribute to David Schweizer, the director of the original Off-Broadway production.
“At Broadway Cares, we believe in the power of storytelling to spark empathy, raise awareness, and create change,” said Danny Whitman, executive director of Broadway Cares, in an earlier statement. “Songs From an Unmade Bed beautifully captures the complexity of the queer identity and experience, and we’re deeply grateful to the artists and audiences coming together to support the vital work of Broadway Cares and The Trevor Project with this much-anticipated return of a beloved work.”
Songs From an Unmade Bed premiered in 2005 at the New York Theatre Workshop with Winther (the original cast recording is on Ghostlight Records). The virtual version, reimagined by Wong and videographer Richert Schnorr, raised $111,159 for Broadway Cares.
Broadway Cares is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising, and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. Visit BroadwayCares.org.
The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Visit TheTrevorProject.org.
Tickets for the benefit concert are available at KaufmanMusicCenter.org.
