The yearly event features a host of teddy bears dressed as famous Broadway characters, many autographed by the original stars who wore the original (human-sized) outfits.
Broadway's Bryan Batt hosts with long-time Sotheby's auctioneer Lorna Kelly presiding over the evening.
The fundraiser features bears from such Broadway shows as The Addams Family (signed by Bebe Neuwirth), American Idiot (signed by Billie Joe Armstrong, Melissa Etheridge and Tony Vincent, Hairspray (signed by Matthew Morrison), Hello, Dolly! (signed by Carol Channing), La Bête (signed by Mark Rylance, Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce), A Little Night Music (signed by Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim), The Merchant of Venice (signed by Al Pacino), Million Dollar Quartet (signed by Levi Kreis), My Fair Lady (signed by Julie Andrews), The Pee-Wee Herman Show (signed by Pee-wee Herman aka Paul Reubens) and The Scottsboro Boys (signed by John Cullum, John Kander and Susan Stroman).
Other designs represent shows such as A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine (signed by David Garrison and Tommy Tune); Barnum (signed by Glenn Close); Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (signed by Benjamin Walker); Cats (signed by Anna McNeely); Dreamgirls (signed by Jennifer Holliday); Fences; The Girl Who Came To Supper (signed by Florence Henderson); Hair (signed by Kacie Sheik); Here’s Love (signed by Janis Paige); The Importance of Being Earnest (signed by Brian Bedford and Dana Ivey); Into The Woods (signed by Bernadette Peters); La Cage Aux Folles (signed by Douglas Hodge); Legally Blonde (signed by Laura Bell Bundy); Lend Me A Tenor (signed by Justin Bartha, Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci); The Lion King (signed by Max Casella); The Little Mermaid (signed by Tituss Burgess); Mack & Mabel (signed by Bernadette Peters); My One and Only (signed by Tommy Tune); Oliver! (signed by Patti LuPone); The Phantom of the Opera (signed by Hal Prince); Private Lives (includes a custom framed autograph from Elizabeth Taylor); Rent (signed by Traci Thoms); Rock of Ages (signed by Constantine Maroulis); Shrek The Musical; Monty Python’s Spamalot (signed by Hank Azaria); Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark (signed by Reeve Carney); Thoroughly Modern Millie (signed by Sutton Foster); Torch Song Trilogy (signed by Harvey Fierstein); and Wicked (signed by Carole Shelley).
Those unable to attend the New York auction can bid on-line. BC/EFA accepts pre-bids and prearranged phone bids the night of the auction. Previews of this year's bears are available on the Broadway Cares website. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grants making organization. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes and other critical illnesses across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $170 million dollars for critically needed services for people with AIDS and other serious illnesses.
For more information about Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, visit the BC/EFA website at www.broadwaycares.org or call (212) 840-0770.
