Easter Bonnet Competition Raises $6,379,572 for BC/EFA

By: Alan Henry Apr. 25, 2017

We've got the fundraising results from the annual Easter Bonnet Competition! Check out the winners below! The total raised was $6,379,572.

Broadway's best shared playful parodies, stirred emotions and delivered dance-driven delights at the 31st annual Easter Bonnet Competition, which raised a record-shattering $6,379,572 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. It's the single highest fundraising total in Broadway Cares history.

The staggering number, raised by 57 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring productions, was announced by Gavin Creel, Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce, stars of this season's smash hit Hello, Dolly!. The total, announced Tuesday, April 25, 2017, breaks last year's record-setter of $5,528,568.

This year's Easter Bonnet Competition (#BroadwayBonnets) was presented April 24 and 25 at the Minskoff Theatre, home to Disney's The Lion King. The production featured performances and 20 exquisite, handmade bonnets, created and presented by some of Broadway and Off-Broadway's most popular shows.

This year's top overall fundraising award went to Glenn Close and the company of Sunset Boulevard, which raised a jaw-dropping $509,246.

In addition to sharing the fundraising total, Creel, Midler and Pierce also presented awards for best presentation and best bonnet design.

The Lion King won for both best presentation and best bonnet design. Set to spoken-word poetry written and performed by cast member L. Steven Taylor, the cast of The Lion King celebrated unity by highlighting, through dance, African, Asian, Indian and Polynesian cultures important to the show and the cast. The show's elegant bonnet, designed by Mikey Clifton, Matthew Keating, Brenda O'Brien and Ilya Vett, emerged as an elaborate tribute to Mother Earth, "grown" onstage during the number.

The company of Cats was runner-up with "The Battle of 52nd Street: Cats vs. Hogs," a parody of "Jet Song" from West Side Story. After ending a fictitious rumble between the cats and their 52nd Street neighbors, the groundhogs, a larger-than-life pink pussy hat, appropriately bedazzled in glittering lights, emerged as the company's bonnet.

Top Overall Fundraiser

Sunset Boulevard $509,246

Broadway Musicals

Top Fundraiser Sunday in the Park with George $382,780

1st Runner-Up Dear Evan Hansen $381,732

2nd Runner-Up Hamilton $348,585

3rd Runner-Up Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 $288,166

Broadway Plays

Top Fundraiser The Price $122,114

Off-Broadway Plays and Musicals

Top Fundraiser Avenue Q $49,485

National Tours

Top Fundraiser Wicked - Munchkinland $348,617

1st Runner-Up Kinky Boots $260,280

2nd Runner-Up Fun Home $212,314

3rd Runner-Up Book of Mormon - Jumamosi $164,799