Broadway Bears 10, which was held at B. B. King Blues Club & Grill, was hosted by Broadway favorite Bryan Batt. Top bids were for the Mary Poppins ($8,000) and The Phantom of the Opera ($6,500) bears. The Poppins bear was signed by both Julie Andrews, who starred in the classic film, and Ashley Brown, who heads the cast of the Broadway musical. Sandra Joseph and Hal Prince signed the Phantom bear. The Chorus Line bears (17 small bears in total) brought in $6,000 and were signed by the entire cast of the musical revival.

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At left (from top): Sondra Lee poses with her bear, Minnie Fay from Hello, Dolly!; Bryan Batt investigates the Sherlock Holmes bear; costume designer Martin Pakledinaz with the bear wearing his creations for the recent Pajama Game revival; Marge Champion, widow of Hello, Dolly! director/choreographer Gower Champion, poses with the Minnie Fay bear; Felicia Finley cozies up to the Peter Allen bear signed by Hugh Jackman.

Below (from left): Christopher Sieber poses with his bear, The Black Knight from Spamalot; Stephanie D'Abruzzo with her bear, Lucy the Slut from Avenue Q; Elisabeth Withers-Mendes with her bear, Shug Avery from The Color Purple.

photos by Aubrey Reuben