23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition Raises $3,402,147 for BC/EFA
By: Eddie Varley Apr. 28, 2009
The 23rd ANNUAL EASTER BONNET COMPETITION was a great success with $3,402,147 being raised this year by the 58 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Since it began in 1987, 23 editions of the Annual Easter Bonnet Competition have raised nearly $39 million for BC/EFA.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presented the 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition on Monday, April 27 and Tuesday, April 28 at the Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street). The proceeds from the event benefited BC/EFA.
This year's winners were announced by Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush.
This year's fundraising award winners were:
Broadway:
3rd $139,304 - Shrek
2nd $155,103 - Billy Elliot
1st $176,714 - Wicked
Winner $183,546 - 33 Variations
Off Broadway:
Most money raised, $31,819 - Distracted
National Tours:
3rd
130,570 - Jersey Boys Chicago
2nd
135,111 - Mamma Mia!
1st runner up
254,888 - Wicked San Francisco
Most raised
352,060 - a record, National Touring company of Rent.
Design Awards
3rd prize - Naked Boys Singing
2nd prize - Billy Elliot
1st prize - 33 Variations
Winner of Best Presentation - 33 Variations, The winning bonnet was designed by David Masenheimer.
Leading the highlights from this year's competition was EASTER BONNET favorite, Doris Eaton Travis at age 105 appeared with the cast of Billy Elliot, teaching Greg Jbara, Liz Pearce and the corps of young, wannabe ballerinas "Ballin' the Jack," a number she performed over 80 years ago. Travis made her Broadway debut at the age of 14 in 1918 in the legendary Ziegfeld Follies at The New Amsterdam Theatre.
Other highlights included:
Liza Minnelli's surprise performance of "New York, New York" during EASTER BONNET COMPETITION's opening number entitled "Broadway Don't Bring Me No Bad News."
The cast of Mary Poppins presented "I Think We Need a Tap Number Here," showing how adding a tap number to West Side Story, Jersey Boys, Wicked, and South Pacific would ensure a long run.
After 9 year absence at the EASTER BONNET COMPETITION, the cast of Chicago re-entered the fray with a hilarious take-off of "The Cell Block Tango," entitled "The Chopping Block Tango" in which characters from Spamalot, Gypsy, Young Frankenstein, Hairspray, Spring Awakening, and Grease sing of the end of their respective runs on Broadway.
Off-Broadway's The Marvelous Wonderettes presented a delightful five-part harmony rendition of the classic, "Let's Talk Dirty to the Animals."
The extraordinary fundraising by 23 national touring shows was represented by a modern dance choreographed by Shea Sullivan to Dolly Parton's "Travelin' Thru" and culminating in a bonnet built as an airplane with a jet stream of the 23 colorful show logos.
Avenue Q's presentation, "You're Nothing Without Me," reunited current cast members Benjamin Schrader and Howie Michael Smith along with "Rod" with original cast member John Tartaglia.
The Little Mermaid's Trevor Braun rebuffed his agent's suggestions that he audition for age-appropriate roles in Billy Elliot, Oliver, and 13 and instead auditioned for the up-coming revival of Dreamgirls with a performance of "And I Telling You I'm Not Going."
Jane Fonda leading the cast of 33 Variations in a "Voluntary Rehearsal" which, in fact, becomes a 80's style "Jane Fonda's Workout" pre-show warm-up.
Special guests include Don Richard and Jen Cody reprising their beloved portrayals of Urinetown's ‘Officer Lockstock' and ‘Little Sally' and Andrea Burns (In The Heights) singing "Help Is On The Way," the official anthem of BC/EFA.
The Easter Bonnet judges included Laura Benanti (Why Torture Is Wrong and The People Who Love Them), Brian D'Arcy James (Shrek), Marsha Mason (Impressionism), Steven Pasquale (reasons to be pretty), Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), and the cast of God of Carnage: Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, and James Gandolfini.
This year's EASTER BONNET COMPETITION hosts included Joan Allen (Impressionism), Danny Burstein (South Pacific), Andre De Shields (Impressionism), Tovah Feldshuh (Irena's Vow), Gavin Creel (Hair), Johanna Day (August: Osage County), Rebecca Luker (Mary Poppins), Karen Olivo (West Side Story), Javier Munoz (In The Heights), Thomas Sadoski (reasons to be pretty), Will Swenson (Hair), and John Tartaglia (Shrek The Musical).
The Easter Bonnet Competition, the two-day Broadway spectacular that features the companies of more than 20 Broadway, off-Broadway and touring productions singing, dancing, and donning original Easter bonnets, has become an annual Broadway tradition.
The Easter Bonnet Competition is the culmination of six intensive weeks of fundraising efforts by Broadway and Off-Broadway company members as well as numeroUs Productions currently on national tour. Curtain speeches, autographed poster and program sales, auctions, and cabaret performances bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars from audiences prior to the competition. The winner of the competition will be the company that raises the largest amount of money for BC/EFA. A second award is granted to the company with the best bonnet design and presentation. Awards are also presented to the Broadway Play, National Tour and Off-Broadway production raising the most money for BC/EFA.
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