Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (June 20, 2008)

MALE NUDITY! MALE NUDITY! MALE NUDITY!
After watching Michael write this column for two years, I have a pretty clear idea how he captures the attention of AfterElton.com readers:

Which brings me to Broadway Bares: Backstage Pass, a new coffee table photo book chronicling the last seventeen years of "Broadway Bares", the annual two-performance-only burlesque show that serves as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (the theatre community’s charity response to AIDS).

The thing I love best about this whole project is its great sense of humor. Well, that and the incredibly hot nearly-naked guys:

"Broadway Bares" was conceived by Tony Award-winning director and choreopgrapher Jerry Mitchell as way to raise monies to fight AIDS and raise HIV awareness. The first fundraiser was held at New York City gay bar Splash with just seven dancers participating. Subsequent "Broadway Bares" grew increasingly more extravagant and, starting with the third one, each had a theme ranging from BBIII "The Lusty Month of May" to IX "Calendar Girl" to this year's "Wonderland". To get tickets to Sunday's event (or to just donate to this worthy cause) go here!

Posters for various Broadway Bares

Last year's two performances of "Myth Behavior" raised $743,000 and was attended by 7,000 people. Clearly things have come a long way from that first show at Splash!

The book itself perfectly captures the show's burlesque sensibility by being very sexy...without being too salacious. And it's not only money well spent for a fun coffee table book, but proceeds benefit Broadway BC/EFA. Order your copy here!

And now I’m off to the gym to do 50,000 sit-ups.