BROADWAY BEARS XII 'Bear A Day On BWW' For BC/EFA: Day 6 - IN THE HEIGHTS

Broadway's cuddliest friends kick off a new year with the 12th annual BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 St.), in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Sure to out-do last year's collection, 40 one-of-a-kind BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and/or performances - will be put up for auction.

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you a daily sneak peek of some of the wonderful creations that await you at BROADWAY BEARS XII, today we introduce you to the freestylin' "Broadway Bear" from IN THE HEIGHTS!

Usnavi
IN THE HEIGHTS
2008
Signed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
"I am Usnavi and you prob'ly never heard my name" - which may have been true before he landed on Broadway, but this star of last season's Best Musical now boasts a name that belongs to theatre lore. As narrator and navigator of this feel-good "northern Manhattan" (a/k/a Washington Heights) tale, Usnavi (and his dexterous ways with a turn of a phrase) easily wins our hearts. And in his costume that exactly replicates the Broadway original, it looks like Usnavi Bear will do the very same thing. Over his white tank top, he wears his short-sleeved burgundy guayabera. It's worn open (it's hot out there!) and is white-embroidered down the narrow vertical pleats at front. His baggy Levi jeans are secured with a brown leather belt. On his feet are brown suede sneakers; around his mouth, a light circle-beard; and on his head - that signature gray-striped, black Kangol cap. Usnavi, this incandescent "streetlight chillin' in the heat...illuminate[s] the stories of the people in the street." He's "all about the legacy" - so why not make him yours?
ORIGINAL DESIGNER: PAIL TAZEWELL
BROADWAY BEARCREATED BY: Rick Kelly

This year's BROADWAY BEARS auction celebrates its 12th year with a stellar cast of cele"bear"ties representing recent Broadway hits like A Chorus Line, A Man For All Seasons, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Boeing-Boeing, Equus, Gypsy, Hairspray, In The Heights, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Legally Blonde, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Shrek The Musical, South Pacific, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, Wicked, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein, along with bears from Broadway classics like Beauty And The Beast, Camelot, Cats, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mame, My One and Only, Peter Pan, The Producers, The Sound of Music, Starlight Express, State Fair, West Side Story, The Who's Tommy, The Wiz, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown.

North American Bear Co., Inc. has again graciously donated the "bare" bears which were then handed over to top Broadway design teams who meticulously research, design, fit, sculpt, shoe, armor, hat, paint, dress, nip, tuck, tattoo, bejewel and feather the "bare" bears into true one-of-a-kind works of costumed theatrical art. 

TICKETING INFORMATION

· VIP Tickets $150 each include an exclusive private preview of the Broadway Bears along with a cocktail, hors d'oeuvres and dessert reception from 6PM to 8PM as well as reserved priority seating for the Auction

General Admission Tickets $35 each which include a cocktail and dessert reception and display of the Broadway Bears from 7PM -8PM as well as unreserved seating for the Auction

Reservations may be made by calling BC/EFA at (212) 840-0770. For those who cannot make it to the auction, but want to take part in all the excitement, live telephone bidding will also be available as are pre-registered fixed bids by calling (212) 840-0770, extension 268.

Internet bidding is available by visiting www.BroadwayCares.org.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grants making organization. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes and other critical illnesses across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $150 million dollars for critically needed services for people with AIDS and other serious illnesses.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors' Fund - including The AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic at The Aurora in NYC, The Dancers' Resource and two supportive housing residences. BC/EFA also awards grants to over 400 AIDS and family service organizations yearly.

THE BROADWAY BEARS XII is sponsored by
The New York Times, Continental Airlines, North American Bear Co., Inc

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

To see the 'Broadway Bear' from Day 5, click here.