BC/EFA's Easter Bonnet Competition Rasies $2,849,066.70

The 19th Annual EASTER BONNET COMPETITION was a great success with $2,849,066.70 being raised this year by the over 40 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

Harvey Fierstein (Fiddler on the Roof), and Jeff Goldblum (The Pillowman), Jessica Lange (The Glass Menagerie), were on hand to present the awards for top fund raising companies and the outstanding bonnet presentation. The winner for bonnet presentation was Movin' Out, for the presentation "Voices of Wings." The piece culminated with Elizabeth Parkinson and the company of the show bringing Parkinson's infant son James Montana on stage during the presentation's final moment.

Highlights from this year's competition included the company of Twelve Angry Men showcasing their hip hop talents with a number called "Diss-Order in the Court," the company of Altar Boyz being introduced by Doubt star Cherry Jones as "Sister Aloysius' favorite band," and Little Women star Sutton Foster lampooning the "Girls Gone Wild" video series with a presentation entitled "March Girls Gone Wild!"

This year's fundraising award winners were:
Winner                   The Phantom of the Opera $209,615.02
First Runner Up      Wicked                             $155,985.80
Second Runner Up  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels    $147,468.51
Third Runner Up     The Lion King                   $144,828.77
Fourth Runner Up   La Cage Aux Folles          $125,596.38

Special awards were also given to the top fundraising Broadway play, Off-Broadway company, and touring company. This year, the top fundraising Broadway play was Twelve Angry Men ($88,803.47); the top fundraising Off-Broadway company was Altar Boyz ($22,888.51); and the top touring company was Mamma Mia! Tour II ($154,440.72).

The results of this year's bonnet presentation were:

Winner                     Movin' Out
First Runner Up        Twelve Angry Men
Second Runner Up   Altar Boyz

The special award for bonnet design was given to The Lion King. The winning bonnet was designed by Camille Brown, Ilya Vett, and Walter Weiner.

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.

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 raised over $100 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.

The Easter Bonnet Competition is sponsored by: The New York Times and, Continental Airlines, the official airline of BC/EFA.

For more information, please visit the BC/EFA website at www.broadwaycares.org