Local 506's 'Broadway Twisted' benefits NC AIDS Action Network

Tonight, Local 506 brings iconic Broadway hits with a twist.

“Broadway Twisted,” a one-night-only cabaret-like show, features gender-swapped songs.

The show is based on a New York charity event called “Broadway Backwards,” in which performers are the opposite gender of the characters they are portraying.

Tonight’s show benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and N.C. AIDS Action Network.

Tim Scales, director of “Broadway Twisted,” said Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS was founded in New York in the 1980s.

“(AIDS) was devastating the actor community, and the media wasn’t giving it coverage,” he said.

Scales said N.C. AIDS Action Network lobbies to change AIDS policy.

He said PlayMakers Repertory Company and Manbites Dog Theater are covering the production costs, so all of the proceeds can go to the charities.

Some performers from PlayMakers’ current show, “Cabaret,” are participating in the event.

“It’s a great way to raise money for a cause,” said Maren Searle, who portrays Rosie, one of the Kit Kat Girls in “Cabaret.”

Searle will be singing “Some Enchanted Evening” from “South Pacific” in the benefit show.

“I’ve always wanted to sing this song, but it’s written for a man,” she said.

The pronouns in the song remain the same, so the songs will not just be about heterosexual love, Searle said.

All kinds of songs will be covered, from classics to newer songs, with a few rewrites for humor, said Nathaniel P. Claridad, who plays Bobby in “Cabaret.”

Claridad, who is also a director for “Broadway Twisted,” said he helped the artists pick out their songs.

“We have some surprising props, some surprising costumes,” he said. “It’s kind of a laid back cabaret-style show.”

Searle said she is excited to see what Obie Award-winning actor Taylor Mac, who portrays the Emcee in “Cabaret,” will perform.

“He’s an absolute artist,” she said.

Last year, Claridad and Scales worked together on “8,” which centers around California’s controversial Proposition 8 and debuted one month before North Carolina’s Amendment One passed.

Scales said he and Claridad haven’t decided whether “Broadway Twisted” will become an annual event.

“We’ve only planned this one thing, but we’ll see,” Scales said.

Claridad said he hopes this charity performance will be more than a one-time event.

“It’s a great opportunity for us as artists to give something back that’s not just applause — to give something that’s more than just us.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.