Carol Channing wowed 'em at the annual Gypsy of the Year benefit in early December - proving that even at 90-years-old, you can't take the Broadway out of the girl. Remember - Miss Channing had her first Broadway hit in 1949 (!) when she starred in Gentlemen Prefer Blonds:
The Gypsy of the Year competition is a six-week-long fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS in which cast members of various shows ask for donations at the end of each performance. The "Gypsy" in the title refers to the "chorus kids" - the actors/singers/dancers who make of the chorus of Broadway musicals. This was the 22nd annual Gypsy of the Year competition, and a total of $3,776,720 was raised by members 63 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and national touring company shows.
This year's performance also paid tribute to the fabled "Gypsy Robe" (below) - which is presented to the most senior gypsy on the opening night of every musical. From Wikipedia:
Broadway musical chorus members are referred to as gypsies to signify their continuous travel from job to job in show after show. The chorus member with the most Broadway credits wears the robe and circles the stage three times moving counterclockwise. Other cast members look on and touch the robe for luck.
The ritual dates to 1950, when Bill Bradley, a chorus member in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, sent a dressing gown from one of his fellow performers to a friend performing in Call Me Madam. A feathered rose from Ethel Merman's costume was attached to the robe and it was then given to a chorus member in Guys and Dolls. The robe continued to be passed from one show to another, each time with a memento added on.
The ritual is now more formal, with rules about how it is presented, worn, and displayed. When robes are full of artifacts, a new robe is started. Retired robes are kept at the Lincoln Center library, at the Smithsonian, and at Actors' Equity.
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