Broadway's cuddliest cast kicked off a new year with the 14th edition of THE BROADWAY BEARS auction yesterday, Sunday, March 6, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, produced by and benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 43 one-of-a-kind, autographed BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and performances - will be put up for auction.
THE BROADWAY BEARS XIV was hosted by Bryan Batt ("Mad Men," Jeffrey) with long-time Sotheby's auctioneer Lorna Kelly presiding over the evening.
This year's BROADWAY BEARS collection offered a number of elegantly dressed, "red carpet" bears from such Broadway shows as The Addams Family (signed by Bebe Neuwirth), American Idiot (signed by Billie Joe Armstrong, Melissa Etheridge and Tony Vincent, Hairspray (signed by Matthew Morrison), Hello, Dolly! (signed by Carol Channing), La Bête (signed by Mark Rylance, Joanna Lumley and David Hyde Pierce), A Little Night Music (signed by Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim), The Merchant of Venice (signed by Al Pacino), Million Dollar Quartet (signed by Levi Kreis), My Fair Lady (signed by Julie Andrews), The Pee-Wee Herman Show (signed by Pee-Wee Herman aka Paul Reubens), and The Scottsboro Boys (signed by John Cullum, John Kander and Susan Stroman).
Other exquisite designs represent shows such as A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine (signed by David Garrison and Tommy Tune); Barnum (signed by Glenn Close); Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (signed by Benjamin Walker); Cats (signed by Anna McNeely); Dreamgirls (signed by Jennifer Holliday); Fences; The Girl Who Came To Supper (signed by Florence Henderson); Hair (signed by Kacie Sheik); Here's Love (signed by Janis Paige); The Importance of Being Earnest (signed by Brian Bedford and Dana Ivey); Into The Woods (signed by Bernadette Peters); La Cage Aux Folles (signed by Douglas Hodge); Legally Blonde (signed by Laura Bell Bundy); Lend Me A Tenor (signed by Justin Bartha, Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci); The Lion King (signed by Max Casella); The Little Mermaid (signed by Tituss Burgess); Mack & Mabel (signed by Bernadette Peters); My One and Only (signed by Tommy Tune); Oliver! (signed by Patti LuPone); The Phantom of the Opera (signed by Hal Prince); Private Lives (includes a custom framed autograph from ElizaBeth Taylor); Rent (signed by Traci Thoms); Rock of Ages (signed by Constantine Maroulis); Shrek The Musical; Monty Python's Spamalot (signed by Hank Azaria); Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark (signed by Reeve Carney); Thoroughly Modern Millie (signed by Sutton Foster); Torch Song Trilogy (signed by Harvey Fierstein); Wicked (signed by Carole Shelley).
Special lots included A Steady Rain (signed by Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman), Beatlemania, The Will Rogers Follies (signed by Jerry Mitchell).
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, cobble, armor, hat, paint, dress, nip, tuck, tattoo, bejewel and feather the "bare" bears into true one-of-a-kind works of costumed theatrical art.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised over $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.BC/EFA awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic and more.
For more information, visit the BC/EFA website at broadwaycares.org.
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
My Fair Lady $14,000
The Girl Who Came To Supper $700
Hairspray $5500
A Steady Rain $3000
Lend Me A Tenor $900
Cats $4500
Phantom Of The Opera $2200
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson $4000
The Lion King $1400
Rent $800
Rock Of Ages $6000
Hair $1000
Oliver $800
The Scottsboro Boys $1200
The Importance of Being Earnest $700
Torch Song Trilogy $800
La Cage Aux Folles with Designer Terry Sipress $700
Here's Love $500
Mack and Mabel Bear with designer Zoe Moresette $3800
Dreamgirls $1200
The Pee-Wee Herman Show $900
Million Dollar Quartet $1200
The Little Mermaid $1400
Christopher Sieber with the Spamalot Bear $5000
Private Lives with designers Barak Stribling and Jamie Filippelli $900
A Day in Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine $1000
Thoroughly Modern Millie $800
Shrek The Musical with designer Randy Carfagno $800
The Merchant of Venice $5000
My One And Only $500
American Idiot $1600
The Will Rogers Follies $1600
Barnum $1000
The Addams Family $1600
Legally Blonde $800
Hello Dolly with designer Andy Wallach $1200
Wicked $700
La Bete $1800
Fences $600
The Pee-Wee Herman Show $900
Christopher Sieber and Annie Golden
Into The Woods $6500
Spiderman $5250
Spiderman with Reeve Carney and Designer Katie Falk
A Little Night Music Bear with Hunter Ryan Herdlicka $1500
Harvey Evans, Bryan Batt and Christopher Sieber
The Scottsboro Boys Bear with Jeremy Gumbs and his mother Deborah Gumbs
Welcome to the live auction
Crista Moore and George Dvorsky start off the evening
Bryan Batt, Annie Golden and Anthony Hollock with the Hair Bear
Bryan Batt and Harvey Evans with the Barnum Bear
Bryan Batt, David Garrison and Lorna Kelly with the A Day In Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine Bear
Scott T. Stevens and Bryan Batt with the Will Rogers Follies Bear
Bryan Batt, Christopher Sieber, Veanne Cox with the La Cage Aux Folles Bear
Bryan Batt, Lexi Fridell and Lorna Kelly with The Pee-Wee Herman Show Bear
Bryan Batt and Reeve Carney with Spiderman
Scott T. Stevens ends the show with a preview bear....The Lombardi Bear
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