Theater News

Broadway Bears VIII Raises More Than $116,000 for BC/EFA

The Broadway Bear representingThe Ziegfeld Follies of 1919(Photo © Michael Portantiere)
The Broadway Bear representing
The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919
(Photo © Michael Portantiere)

Broadway Bears VIII, the latest edition of the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS (BC/EFA) benefit event featuring teddy bears dressed up in elaborate Broadway costumes, netted $116,817 for the charity on Sunday, February 23.

Among the top earners at the event, which was hosted by Bryan Batt (La Cage aux Folles) and featured Lorna Kelly as the auctioneer, were the Wicked Glinda bear ($6,000) and the Bombay Dreams Rani bear ($4,000). This year’s auction featured more than 40 specially costumed bears.

Celebrities in attendance included Mary Bond Davis (Hairspray), who introduced a bear based on Gregory Hines’ character from Jelly’s Last Jam; Dame Edna Everage, who posed for photos with the bear bearing her likeness; Delta Burke (Steel Magnolias), who introduced the Sutton Foster bear from Thoroughly Modern Millie, in which Burke was also featured; and Doris Eaton Travis, who presented the bear dressed as a showgirl from The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, in which Travis herself appeared.

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