Despite the stormy weather on the evening of Monday, May 5, a swarm of New York City’s biggest, brightest names in entertainment piled into Sony Hall at the Paramount Hotel. Guests paraded in pink floor-length gowns, salmon bedazzled pantsuits and bubblegum feathered headpieces, all coming together for the third annual Janice Jam: Broadway for Breast Cancer.
The event, founded by Matt DeAngelis, who is known for his roles in “Swept Away,” “Waitress” and “Hair,” commemorates his late mother, Janice, who passed away from metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in 2022. DeAngelis, along with a star-studded lineup of Broadway talent, joined forces to sing, dance and shine — all in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the largest private funder of breast cancer research.
The night kicked off with a bang as Lissa deGuzman and Danny Quadrino, both currently acting in “Wicked” on Broadway, performed Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” This was later followed by Tony-nominee and Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose with her soulful and emotional rendition of “Close to You” by the Carpenters. Another highlight of the evening included Omar Cardona, a Janice Jam alum and Season 22 contestant on “The Voice,” who brought the crowd to their feet with his thrilling version of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” Brent Comer, who plays Darrel Curtis in “The Outsiders,” also made an appearance delivering a powerful mashup of “Birds of a Feather,” by Billie Eilish “Sunday Morning” by Maroon Five and “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.
Later in the evening, Tami Eagle Bowling, a motivational speaker and businesswoman, took the stage. At 41 years old and a mother of two small children, Bowling was told that she likely had three years to live following her diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer. Now celebrating her 10th anniversary of living with breast cancer, Bowling has become a fierce advocate and fundraiser, being the Campaign Director of #LightUpMBC and having raised over $2 million for MBC research grants. She left the audience with a powerful message: “Let your bar for happiness each day be being alive. Show up for life because it’s great while you live it.”
Maggie Wheeler, beloved for her unforgettable role as Janice Hosenstein, Chandler Bing’s on-again, off-again relationship in the hit series “Friends,” also made a video appearance during the evening, offering a couple of heartfelt words of advocacy and inspiration.
The Janice Jam introduced the first ever Fighting Flamingo Award, which was presented to Krysta Rodriguez, a breast cancer survivor, Broadway performer and actor. Accepting the award, Rodiguez shared a few inspiring words: “Strength isn’t just about enduring. It’s about choosing to shine in the face of fear. Tonight, we honor [Janice] for not just surviving, but thriving. For reaching back, while moving forward. For turning pain into purpose and for never losing sight of who she is.”
Among the crowd were the casts of “Operation Mincemeat” and “Swept Away,” along with TikTok influencers, television actors, political activists and singer-songwriters. I had a chance to speak with one of the guests, Gerianne Pérez, a performer in the national tours of “Waitress” and “Six: The Musical” and current actor in “Operation Mincemeat.” “Janice was an incredible woman,” Pérez shared, “and I am so proud of all the money that they have been able to raise for breast cancer awareness, especially metastatic breast cancer. Anything we can do to support, bring awareness and visibility, we will do.”
Another powerful voice in the room was Elana Gilbert, a 38-year-old stage IV cancer patient, who was among the 25 other cancer survivors and thrivers at the benefit. “This is really important,” she said in regards to the benefit. “[Breast cancer research] doesn’t get enough funding. A lot of our clinical trials are on hold right now because of what is going on politically.” A Berklee College of Music alumna, Gilbert now lives in Tampa with her husband.
The evening ended on a note of hope and unity as DeAngelis and the full cast returned to the stage one last time for a performance of “Let The Sunshine In,” originally by The 5th Dimension. With more than 20 dazzling performers and over $115,000 raised, this year’s Janice Jam was the biggest one yet and a powerful testament to resilience, remembrance and the spirit of community.
