10th Annual Bway Bears, Hosted by Batt, Held 2/11

The 10th Annual "Broadway Bears" auction will be presented on February 11th, 2007.  Once again hosted by Bryan Batt (La Cage aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast), it will take place at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill (237 W. 42nd Street).

Lorna Kelly will return as auctioneer for the event, which will feature a parade of bears garbed as characters from Broadway shows.  A private reception and VIP advance preview will kick off the evening at 6 PM, followed by a general admission reception and display at 7 PM and the auction itself at 8 PM.

Among the special features this year will be bears dressed as characters from Broadway's ten longest-running musicals, including Aida; Annie; Candide; Cats; Dracula, The Musical; Flower Drum Song; Grey Gardens; Hello, Dolly!; Into the Woods; It's a Bird…It's a Plane… It's Superman; Jersey Boys; Les Misérables; Man of La Mancha; Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me; Mary Poppins; My One and Only; Once on this Island; Once Upon a Mattress; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Peter Pan; Rent; Spamalot; Sweeney Todd; Taboo; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; The King and I; The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby; The Pajama Game; The Producers; The Threepenny Opera and The Wedding Singer.

Once again, many of the Broadway Bears will be autographed by the stars they represent, including: Julie Andrews, Mel Brooks, Harry Connick Jr., Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Kirk Douglas, Sandy Duncan, Christine Ebersole, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Felicia Finley, Bob Gaudio, Tom Hewitt, Christian Hoff, Judy Kuhn, Nathan Lane, Cyndi Lauper, Linda Lavin, Patti LuPone, Andrea McArdle, Kelli O'Hara, Rosie O'Donnell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hal Prince, Roger Rees, Daniel Reichard, Martin Short, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Smith, J. Robert Spencer, Josh Strickland, Tommy Tune, Frankie Valli and John Lloyd Young. Many more will be announced shortly.

This year, a special lot consisting of 17 bears representing the cast of the current hit revival of A Chorus Line will be auctioned off. Each bear has been signed by the members of the current cast and in certain cases members of the original 1975 production.

To date, "Broadway Bears" has raised well over $1.3 million to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Last year's Broadway Bears raised $114,638.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fund raising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American theater community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since it's founding in 1988, BC/EFA has distributed over $100 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.

Phone bids, pre-bids and online bids will be accepted.  Visit www.broadwaycares.org for more information and a look at some of this year's "Broadway Bears."

Photo of Bryan Batt by Genevieve Rafter Keddy