Broadway Flea Market, a Starry Street Fair for a Good Cause, Presented Sept. 25

By Andrew Gans
September 25, 2011

The 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, the annual benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will attract theatre lovers Sept. 25 from 10 AM-7 PM. The event, which is free and open to the public, is being held on West 44th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and, for the first time, now extends into Times Square, between 43rd and 44th Streets.

The day-long event features over 60 tables filled with theatrical memorabilia, a live Grand Auction, special "flash auctions" that offer instant experiences with Broadway stars and the always-popular Autograph Table and Photo Booth.

In a statement Tom Viola, BC/EFA’s executive director, said, "Come sunshine or drizzle the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction will go on. Only heavy rains in the morning would knock us out. Please check the website, Facebook and Twitter for an update on Sunday morning and throughout the day if clouds are gray. In the meantime, all prayers, entreaties and cosmic bribes are appreciated. I have great faith in the kindness of Mother Nature!"

"From posing for photos with your favorite Broadway and television stars, to buying that lost cast recording, autographed show posters and Playbills, rare costume sketches or special gift you can't find anywhere else – the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises something for everyone," according to press notes.

Flash auctions include:

Spamalot karaoke with Tony Award-nominated Spamalot star Christopher Sieber
A coaching session with Chicago star and former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi
An on-the-spot appearance in the hit web series “Side by Side by Susan Blackwell”
Your favorites tunes sung especially for you by Rent star Anthony Rapp and Wicked star Julia Murney
Your outgoing voice mail message recorded in the voice of the diva of your choice by singer and comedian Christine Pedi, known for her spot-on impersonations

	Opening night tickets to Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway will be auctioned off.
	photo by Joan Marcus

Some of the dozens of items in the live auction include:

Tickets to the by-invitation-only opening night of Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway
The ultimate Barbra Streisand package, featuring three wonderful items signed by Streisand specifically for this year's Grand Auction. The items include an extremely rare, original movie card from "Funny Girl," a deluxe version of Ms. Streisand’s new CD  "What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman" and the DVD  "One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard."
A VIP evening at The Book of Mormon, including a backstage meet-and-greet with stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells.
Backstage meet-and-greets with Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Reeve Carney and Patrick Page, Brooke Shields and Roger Rees, the stars of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the cast of War Horse and the cast of Godspell
A signed portrait of Elizabeth Taylor in her dressing room, backstage at Broadway's Little Foxes, one of her only two Broadway appearances. The photograph was generously autographed by Taylor just last year as a special favor for Broadway Cares.
Opening night tickets for Bonnie & Clyde, Carrie, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Evita, Lysistrata Jones, Man and Boy, The Mountaintop, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Noel Coward's Private Lives, Seminar, Stick Fly and Venus in Fur.
Walk-on roles in Chicago, Disney's The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, Memphis, The Phantom of the Opera, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Rock of Ages, Sister Act and Wicked
A behind-the-scenes look at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark including watching the pre-show "flight call" for the flying sequences and a post-show backstage tour
Set visits (including hotel and airfare) to the hit TV shows “Modern Family,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Harry’s Law” in Los Angeles

Prior to the live auction, beginning at 10 AM, a new collection of silent auction lots will be up for bid every 30 minutes. Among the one-of-kind theatre memorabilia available are:

Autographed props and wardrobe pieces from American Idiot, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Driving Miss Daisy, Next to Normal, The Normal Heart, Shrek, A Steady Rain and more
Musical phrases handwritten and signed by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mel Brooks, Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Stephen Sondheim and others
An Equus marquee photo, taken by photographer Peter James Zielenski and signed by Equus star Daniel Radcliffe
A Kristin Chenoweth autographed package of CDs
A Hello, Dolly! poster signed by Carol Channing
A framed photograph and check signed by comedy legend Lucille Ball

	Bryan Batt at the 2010 Broadway Flea Market
	photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Among the celebrities who are scheduled to take part in the Autograph Table and Photo Booth are Josh Gad, Nikki M. James, Andrew Rannells and Rory O’Malley from The Book of Mormon; Colin Donnell, Sutton Foster, Adam Godley and Joel Grey from Anything Goes; Victoria Clark and Patina Miller from Sister Act; Danny Burstein, Jayne Houdyshell, Jan Maxwell, Rob Raines and Terri White from Follies; Nick Adams and Tony Sheldon from Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Jackie Hoffman, Brad Oscar and Roger Rees from The Addams Family, Christopher J. Hanke and Rose Hemingway from How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying as well as other stars like Bryan Batt, Charles Busch, Bobby Cannavale, Jason Danieley, Brian d'Arcy James, Joyce DeWitt, Michael Emerson, Ana Gasteyer, Montego Glover, Jonathan Groff, Megan Hilty, Beth Leavel, Telly Leung, Marin Mazzie, Laura Osnes, Patrick Page, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Alice Ripley and many more.

For a complete list of celebrities and their appearance times, go to www.broadwaycares.org. A map of the Flea Market tables, complete lists of all silent and live auction lots, and the autograph table and photo booth schedule is available for smartphone users at www.broadwaycares.org/flea.

Last year, the 24th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction raised $476,917, bringing the event's 24-year total to $8,638,669.

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Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.