THE BROADWAY BEARS XIV To Be Held At BB Kings, Bryan Batt Hosts

Broadway's cuddliest cast kicks off a new year with the 14th edition of THE BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 Street), 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 will be 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 offers 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 include 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.

The entire Broadway Bears XIV collection can be previewed online at broadwaycares.org.

TICKETING INFORMATION
· VIP Tickets are $150 each and include an exclusive private preview of the Broadway Bears along with a cocktail, hors d'oeuvres and dessert reception from 6 pm to 8 pm as well as reserved priority seating for the auction
· General Admission Tickets are $35 each and include a cocktail and dessert reception and display of the Broadway Bears from 7 pm to 8 pm as well as unreserved seating for the Auction.

Reservations may be made by calling BC/EFA at 212.840.0770, extension 229. For those who cannot make it to the auction, live telephone bidding will also be available as are pre-registered fixed bids by calling 212.840.0770, extension 229. Internet bidding is available by visiting broadwaycares.org.

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.

THE BROADWAY BEARS XIV is sponsored by United Airlines, The New York Times and North American Bear Co., Inc.

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

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy