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

.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
My Fair Lady $14,000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Girl Who Came To Supper $700
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Hairspray $5500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
A Steady Rain $3000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Lend Me A Tenor $900
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Cats $4500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Phantom Of The Opera $2200
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson $4000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Lion King $1400
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Rent $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Rock Of Ages $6000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Hair $1000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Oliver $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Scottsboro Boys $1200
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Importance of Being Earnest $700
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Torch Song Trilogy $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
La Cage Aux Folles with Designer Terry Sipress $700
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Here's Love $500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Mack and Mabel Bear with designer Zoe Moresette $3800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Dreamgirls $1200
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Pee-Wee Herman Show $900
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Million Dollar Quartet $1200
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Little Mermaid $1400
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Christopher Sieber with the Spamalot Bear $5000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Private Lives with designers Barak Stribling and Jamie Filippelli $900
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
A Day in Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine $1000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Thoroughly Modern Millie $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Shrek The Musical with designer Randy Carfagno $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Merchant of Venice $5000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
My One And Only $500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
American Idiot $1600
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Will Rogers Follies $1600
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Barnum $1000
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Addams Family $1600
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Legally Blonde $800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Hello Dolly with designer Andy Wallach $1200
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Wicked $700
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
La Bete $1800
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Fences $600
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Pee-Wee Herman Show $900
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Christopher Sieber and Annie Golden
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Into The Woods $6500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Spiderman $5250
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Spiderman with Reeve Carney and Designer Katie Falk
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
A Little Night Music Bear with Hunter Ryan Herdlicka $1500
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Harvey Evans, Bryan Batt and Christopher Sieber
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
The Scottsboro Boys Bear with Jeremy Gumbs and his mother Deborah Gumbs
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Welcome to the live auction
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Crista Moore and George Dvorsky start off the evening
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt, Annie Golden and Anthony Hollock with the Hair Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt and Harvey Evans with the Barnum Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt, David Garrison and Lorna Kelly with the A Day In Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Scott T. Stevens and Bryan Batt with the Will Rogers Follies Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt, Christopher Sieber, Veanne Cox with the La Cage Aux Folles Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt, Lexi Fridell and Lorna Kelly with The Pee-Wee Herman Show Bear
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Bryan Batt and Reeve Carney with Spiderman
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Scott T. Stevens ends the show with a preview bear....The Lombardi Bear

Videos