On June 15, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan continues its five-episode virtual health and wellness series—Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer!—with cohosts Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez (currently battling breast cancer) and JCC senior director of health and wellness programming Caroline Kohles, and featuring guest appearances by James Monroe Iglehart, winner of the Tony Award as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway, and, Kathy Washburn, founder of Carved by Cancer, a support network for cancer survivors.
The virtual series kicked off on Monday, June 1, and will be presented live every Monday at 6 p.m., followed by a live Q&A on Facebook Live. Each episode will include some of Mandy Gonzalez’s Broadway colleagues and health experts offering guidance to those facing health challenges during the pandemic. This series, co-hosted by, also will feature appearances by Dr. Alison Estabrook, renowned breast surgeon and co-founder of Breastlink New York.
Register online in advance for the June 15 episode here.
Each episode includes live interviews and provide an opportunity for viewers to engage with the co-hosts and guests, as well as pose questions to healthcare experts. Previous episodes have featured Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening, The Addams Family, In the Heights), Kerry Butler (Mean Girls, Xanadu and Hairspray); positive psychologist Maria Sirois; and international best-selling author and research psychologist Kelly McGonigal.
The June 15 episode features James Monroe Iglehart, best known for his Tony Award-winning performance as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway; and, Kathy Washburn, founder of Carved by Cancer, a support network for cancer survivors, discussing the taboo topic of sexuality and cancer and how creativity can be unleashed with “masterdates.”
Upcoming episodes of Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer! will feature:
- Episode 4 (June 22): Telly Leung, best known for appearances in Aladdin, Allegiance, and In Transit on Broadway; and, a special guest to be announced at a later date.
- Episode 5 (June 29): Javier Muñoz, best known for his performances in Hamilton and In the Heights; and, a special guest to be announced at a later date.
The series is part of JCC’s cancer care partnership with Breastlink New York, an initiative that offers complementary care to those living with breast cancer through a range of classes, lectures, and events focusing on self-care through movement, massage, yoga, Nia and Moving for Life—all to boost healing, increase vitality and help manage any side effects from cancer treatment.
“People living with cancer right now are anxious and afraid,” Kohles says. “They are going to be sheltering in place for much longer than the rest of us because their immune systems are so compromised. They need practices and tools to help with the fear and anxiety and a bit of entertainment to distract them and keep them focused and positive.”
Adds Gonzalez, “Together we will laugh, cry, and learn—while boosting our health. Along the way, I will share my personal journey with cancer. I will also share how my theater skills and loved ones got me through some tough times.”
Currently starring as Angelica Schuyler in the megahit Hamilton (until the Broadway shutdown in March), Gonzalez also originated and starred as Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In The Heights, for which she received a Drama Desk Award. She has starred as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, for which she was honored with a Broadway.com Award for Best Replacement. She also appeared on Broadway in Aida, Lennon, and Dance of the Vampires, and Off-Broadway in Eli’s Comin’.
Throughout the series, Gonzalez—the daughter of Jewish-Mexican parents, and a mother of one—candidly will discuss her journey and treatment for breast cancer. Her Bubbe’s love for Ethel Merman and her grandfather’s love for Elvis Presley propelled her to sing, eventually taking lessons. Gonzalez attended Hebrew school and was bat mitzvahed in Los Angeles, going to the local Jewish theater to watch performances, and eventually making her own debut public performance there.
Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer!—which is endorsed by JCC community partners Sharsheret, The Nia Technique, and The American Cancer Society (the latter of which will honor Dr. Estabrook this fall)—is just one part of the JCC’s robust array of health and wellness programs for cancer care, all of them free for those in treatment or at risk for breast cancer. The Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer! series is promoting the First Virtual Shirley Kohn JCC Spa Day for Women with Breast Cancer on June 28 (learn more information here). People can visit jccmanhattan.org/cancer-care for a complete schedule, course descriptions, and to register.
Bios of Co-Hosts and Participants
Co-hosts:
Mandy Gonzalez. Currently starring as Angelica Schuyler in the megahit Hamilton, Gonzalez also originated and starred as Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, In the Heights, for which she received a Drama Desk Award. She has starred as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, for which she was honored with a Broadway.com Award for Best Replacement. Other Broadway roles include Princess Amneris in the Elton John and Tim Rice musical, Aida, and Lennon, in which she portrayed Beatles icon John Lennon. She made her Broadway debut in Jim Steinman’s Dance of the Vampires. Gonzalez received an OBIE Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli’s Comin’. Her television appearances include Madam Secretary, Quantico, Doubt, White Collar, and The Good Wife. She appeared in Across the Universe, After, Man on a Ledge, and in Disney’s Mulan 2. A frequent concert soloist, she performed with symphony orchestras, including New York Pops, Philly Pops, Cleveland Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Arkansas, Anchorage, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Youngstown Symphonies. Her debut album, FEARLESS, with Warner Music, debuted at #13 on the iTunes charts. She is the founder of the online #FearlessSquad platform that focuses on positivity and inclusiveness.
Caroline Kohles is the senior director of health and wellness programming at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. In her 16 years at the JCC, she has spearheaded a progressive slate of fitness programming, creating 100+ group fitness class schedules and health and wellness programs for populations ranging from tweens/teens to prenatal/postnatal moms and seniors. Her signature work includes developing a range of cancer care programs in partnership first with Mount Sinai Hospital and now Breastlink New York. A health and wellness professional for over 25 years, Kohlesis co-founder of Nia New York, a holistic lifestyle and fitness practice. She also designed the nationally and internationally recognized Edmond J. Safra Parkinson’s program at the JCC, now in its 12th year, in partnership first with The Fresco Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center and now with Northwell Health.
Guests (in alphabetical order) during the five-part series are:
- Alison Estabrook, MD, is recognized as a Top Doctor by many national associations over her extensive career, and is a founding breast cancer specialist for Breastlink New York, a comprehensive total breast cancer care practice in Manhattan.
- Kerry Butler starred in Broadway’s Beetlejuice, received Outer Critics Circle nominations for playing roles in Mean Girls, Xanadu, and Hairspray, and starred in numerous television shows such as 30 Rock and The Mindy Project.
- James Monroe Iglehart stars in Hamilton on Broadway, previously appeared in Memphis and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and won a Tony for his performance as the Genie in Disney’s stage adaptation of Aladdin.
- Telly Leung has appeared in Disney’s Aladdin, In Transit, Allegiance, Godspell, Rent, Wicked, Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, and in the television show Glee.
- Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. Her TED talk, “How to Make Stress Your Friend,” is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, and Oprah Magazine named McGonigal the first ever O! Visionary.
- Javier Muñoz performed on Broadway as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton and Off-Broadway as Usnavi de la Vega in In the Heights, as well as in a number of television series including Shadowhunters, Quantico, and Blindspot.
- Krysta Rodriguez is a multi-talented actor and singer who appeared on Broadway in The Addams Family, In the Heights, Spring Awakening, A Chorus Line, First Date the Musical, and Good Vibrations.
- Maria Sirois is a master teacher, facilitator and author. As a positive psychologist (Psy.D.) and international consultant, she focuses on the resilience of the human spirit when under pressure and/or during significant transition.
- Kathy Washburn is a life coach who works with people who are navigating life’s most challenging transitions, and the founder of Carved by Cancer, a support network for cancer survivors.
About the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Together with its community, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan creates opportunities for people to connect, grow, and learn within an ever-changing Jewish landscape. Located at 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the JCC is a vibrant non-profit community center on the Upper West Side. The cornerstone of progressive programming in Manhattan, the JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants’ minds, bodies, and spirits. Since its inception, the JCC has been committed to serving the community by offering programs, classes, and events that extend beyond neighborhood boundaries, reaching people at all stages of their lives. Learn more at jccmanhattan.org.
About Breastlink New York
As a leader in breast care, Breastlink New York’s goal is to provide complete and total care to all of their patients—from initial screening to the successful completion of treatment. Breastlink breast health experts thoroughly assess each breast cancer patient’s diagnosis to ensure a custom, individualized treatment plan is presented. Learn more at breastlink.com.
