Julie Halston (The Babylon Line) hosted a benefit night for PFF (Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation) entitled Broadway Belts at the Edison Ballroom on Monday evening February 27 that included performances by Stephanie J. Block (Falsettos) Robert Creighton (Cagney), Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton), T. Oliver Reid (Sunset Boulevard), James Snyder (In Transit) and many more.
TheaterPizzazz’ MR Anderson was on the scene to speak with many of the performers.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating group of progressive diseases that cause scarring in the lungs, limiting oxygen intake. As a result, the brain, heart and other organs do not get the required oxygen needed in order to function properly. There is no known cure for PF.
BROADWAY BELTS FOR PFF! was founded in 2010 and is a one-of-a-kind evening of Broadway stars performing some of their favorite songs began as a tribute to Michael Kuchwara, the beloved Broadway theater critic of the Associated Press, who died suddenly of pulmonary fibrosis in 2010. Coincidentally, Ms. Halston’s husband, the venerated newscaster Ralph Howard, was himself diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis a short time later, eventually receiving a lung transplant. People of note who have died from PF include Robert Goulet, Marlon Brando, Evil Knievel, Peter Benchley, John Palmer, James Doohan and numerous First Responders at the World Trade Center on September 11.
To date, BROADWAY BELTS FOR PFF! has raised nearly $500,000 for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, and is the largest single fundraiser for the Foundation
For more information, visit pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733
Photos/Video: Mark Ryan (MR) Anderson