The annual Broadway Backwards — featuring male singers performing songs traditionally sung by women and women singing tunes written for men — was presented Monday, March 21 at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre and was a rousing success. Among the performers was spring 2016 Granada Artist-in-Residence Mindy Cooper, who was part of a special musical number celebrating the Tony Award-winning CHICAGO The Musical.

Mindy Cooper, a member of the original revival cast of CHICAGO The Musical, performed alongside Broadway legend Chita Rivera, the show’s original Velma Kelly, who sang the role of lawyer Billy Flynn for a show-stopping rendition of the musical’s “All I Care About Is Love.” (video link courtesy of Broadway Cares) 

The starry one-night-only concert set a new record raising $480,287 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City.

Mindy Cooper has directed, choreographed and performed on Broadway and Off-Broadway in Chicago - The Musical (original revival), Titanic (original cast), Dracula – The Musical, 50 Shades – The Musical Parody, Mars/Venus Live, The Eternal Space, Soul Doctor, Wrong Mountain, Five Course Love, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Song & Dance, and Tenderloin, as well as TV’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

As the spring 2016 Granada Artist-in-Residence for UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance, Mindy Cooper will direct Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, a dark comedy with music. Previously at UC Davis, Cooper has staged Oklahoma, The Who’s Tommy and The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.