Night of a Thousand Judys

For eight years, New York has celebrated Judy Garland with an annual concert called Night of a Thousand Judys. This year, thanks to the pandemic, the event will be taking place online and available for all to see. The concert begins at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, July 14th and can be viewed at the event’s website. If you can’t make it as it happens live, Night of a Thousand Judys will remain on the website for one month.

This annual event is a fundraiser for the Ali Forney Center which serves LGBT homeless youth. You don’t need to make a donation to watch the concert, but donations are obviously encouraged.

The line-up of talent for this year’s Night of a Thousand Judys is stellar: Tony winners Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) are joined by Tony nominees Beth Malone (Fun Home); Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), Adam Pascal (Rent). They are joined by Ann Hampton Callaway, Spencer Day, Natalie Douglas, Nathan Lee Graham, Ann Harada (Avenue Q), L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Billy Stritch, T. Oliver Reid (Hadestown), Jessica Vosk (Wicked) and Bright Light Bright Light.

Justin Sayre is the host for Night of a Thousand Judys. He’s the executive story editor and writer for the television series The Cool Kids and 2 Broke Girls.

What can you expect from this show? Each artist will put their own stamp on a song recorded by Judy Garland. Think The Wizard of Oz, The Harvey Girls, A Star Is Born, Summer Stock and perhaps a song or two from her Carnegie Hall concert.

Whether you are a friend of Judy’s, a fan of Judy’s or just want to enjoy some good music, Night of a Thousand Judys is an annual tradition that we will all get to see this year! Or as Judy sang in her most popular song, “The dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

Photo of Judy Garland is a publicity still for The Harvey Girls.