Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Mark Rylance to Perform in The 25th Annual Gypsy of the Year Competition

The 25th anniversary Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Gypsy of the Year Competition will take place December 9 and 10 at the Minskoff Theatre. The show will feature performances by some of the season’s biggest stars including Tyne Daly (Mothers and Sons), Cherry Jones (The Glass Menagerie), Ian McKellen (Waiting for Godot/No Man's Land), and Patrick Stewart (Waiting for Godot/No Man's Land), and Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night/Richard III).

Gypsy of the Year takes place at the end of six weeks of intensive fundraising by Broadway, off-Broadway, and national touring companies. The event features original skits, songs, and dances performed by the New York theater community. Awards are presented to the shows that raise the most money. There are also awards for the best presentation. The awards will be announced at the end of Tuesday’s show by Jones, McKellen, and Stewart.

Sirius/XM Radio personality and Disaster! star Seth Rudetsky will host the event for the sixth year in a row. He’ll be joined by special guest hosts and former Rose/Herbie duo from the 1989 Gypsy revival, Daly and Jonathan Hadary. Gypsy of the Year's opening number will be directed and choreographed by Devanand Janki and Robert Tatad, with lyrics and script by Rudetsky.

This year’s judges include director/choreographer Graciela Daniele, Mary Bridget Davies (A Night With Janis Joplin), Brandon Victor Dixon (Motown The Musical), Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez (First Date), Rebecca Luker (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella), Hugh Panaro (The Phantom of the Opera), and Roger Rees (The Winslow Boy).