Childlike imagination and fantasy took to the stage Monday night during the annual Only Make Believe gala at St. James Theatre.
Only Make Believe has brought interactive theater to more than 60 children’s hospitals and special education facilities across the East Coast. John Oliver’s 80-minute charity event hosted colorful performances from some of Broadway’s biggest stars.
During his opening monologue, Oliver poked fun at participating in Zoom benefits during the pandemic and how Broadway characters have “sometimes been among the worst.” It also highlighted some “incredible” examples of people using their blue checkmarks on Twitter to troll companies.
“Let me tell you how fun it is going to be tonight: It will be as much fun as it has been for the last 10 days when I watched Elon Musk destroy Twitter,” Oliver said. “It’s okay to enjoy things when they’re really funny; $44 billion being burned in front of everyone’s faces is something you have to laugh about.”
Tony Award-nominated Montego Glover opens with a musical number from “Into The Woods” in which she sings the character of the witch next door. To wrap up the night, Broadway power couple Orph and Andy Carle performed a dynamic rendition of Prince’s “The Kiss.”
Audience members also got to watch “Little Shop of Horrors” stars Rob McClure and Brad Oscar perform together for the last time. McClure, who played the lead role of Seymour Creborn, just finished his run in the Off-Broadway production this past weekend. On the red carpet, McClure highlighted the super therapeutic qualities that power play can have on children.
“It’s really about fully embracing the pretense,” McClure said. diverse. Most of us entered [theater] Because we were madly in love with pretend play. We happen to be doing it well and have been doing it for a long time. So, being able to give ourselves completely to these kids, just like we did when we were five years old with no filter in our brains playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in our garden, is really something that I think is uniquely extraordinary. “
Recipients were encouraged to donate money in support of the Only Make Believe acting company, which has performed for more than 95,000 children with medically fragile conditions and disabilities. This year, they are on track to triple their pre-pandemic numbers and serve 2,000 children.
The actors reflected on their time performing in virtual tutorials throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and excitedly celebrated their return to Broadway. Looking back on her “humble beginnings” growing up in a trailer in Illinois, “Kimberly Akimbo” star Bonnie Milligan said she’s so grateful the theater industry has gone back in time.
“I just think of the little girl from the Midwest who just wanted to be a part of all of this,” Milligan said. diverse. “And I will be a part of it now. So even when you are really tired, don’t forget your blessings.”
Brooke Haney, who joined the acting company in 2018, highlighted how Only Make Believe supported its actors when their shows were canceled at the start of the pandemic.
“There’s already such a dearth of actors that that was the moment the fear started for me,” Haney recalled. Most of the actors lost all their income including jobs to survive.
Amidst all the uncertainty, Only Make Believe’s board of directors was able to secure a PPP loan and pay its representatives for four straight months.
“It gave us, the cast, a little bit of stability,” Haney said. “Only Make Believe is a company that stands by its representatives in the back and through the worst of times.”
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