Michael Urie's At-Home Buyer & Cellar Raises $200K for Theater Workers

Michael Urie proved that a health crisis is no match for good theater.

The gay actor delivered an acclaimed at-home version of Buyer & Cellar, his one-man show about a fictional man, Alex More, who works in Barbra Streisand's basement as a curator of her tchotchke collection.

The Sunday livestream raised over $200,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, which supports those in the theater world impacted by the pandemic. Broadway is currently shuttered due to the crisis -- and a scheduled charity staging of Urie's Buyer & Cellar was canceled as well.

But the virus didn't stop over 70,000 people from streaming Urie's performance, in which he vacillated between Alex, his boyfriend, and Babs from his living room. His performance wowed critics, including Vulture's Helen Shaw, who said it proved theater can be "vigorous and exciting" even over the internet. "I bought it, people; I was sold," Shaw raved.

Drew Droege, who collaborated with Urie on his own one-man show, Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, which the Ugly Betty star directed, also praised the production. "This man is incredible. What joy this brought me. I loved this show live but seeing this just now was even more beautiful, intimate, hilarious," he wrote on Facebook.

Buyer & Cellar is by Jonathan Tolins. The Sunday version was directed by Nic Cory with Paul Wontorek from Broadway.com serving as livestream director. Producers included Broadway.com and Rattlestick Playwright Theater in partnership with Pride Plays.

There's still time to see Buyer & Cellar, which is streaming until Wednesday, midnight Eastern time on Broadway.com's YouTube channel. Watch it below. And support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS during this crisis!