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The 19th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition Raises Astonishing $2,849,066

The 19th Annual EASTER BONNET COMPETITION was a great success with an record breaking $2,849,066.70 being raised this year by the over 40 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

Harvey Fierstein (Fiddler on the Roof), Jessica Lange (The Glass Menagerie), and Jeff Goldblum (The Pillowman) were on hand to present the awards for top fund raising companies and the outstanding bonnet presentation. The winner for bonnet presentation was Movin’ Out, for the presentation “Voices of Wings.” The piece culminated with Elizabeth Parkinson and the company of the show bringing Parkinson’s infant son James Montana on stage during the presentation’s final moment.

Highlights from this year’s competition included the company of Twelve Angry Men showcasing their hip hop talents with a number called “Diss-Order in the Court,” the company of Altar Boyz being introduced by Doubt star Cherry Jones as “Sister Aloysius’ favorite band,” and Little Women star Sutton Foster lampooning the “Girls Gone Wild” video series with a presentation entitled “March Girls Gone Wild!”

This year’s fundraising award winners were:

WinnerThe Phantom of the Opera$209,615.02
First Runner UpWicked$155,965.80
Second Runner UpDirty Rotten Scoundrels$147,468.51
Third Runner UpThe Lion King$144,828.77
Fourth Runner UpLa Cage Aux Folles$125,596.38

Special awards were also given to the top fundraising Broadway play, Off-Broadway company, and touring company. This year, the top fundraising Broadway play was Twelve Angry Men ($88,803.47); the top fundraising Off-Broadway company was Altar Boyz ($22,888.51); and the top touring company was Mamma Mia! Tour II ($154,440.72).

The results of this year’s bonnet presentation were:

WinnerMovin’ Out
First Runner UpTwelve Angry Men
Second Runner UpAltar Boyz

The winning bonnet was designed by Ilya Vett, Walter Weiner and Camille Brown.

The Easter Bonnet Competition is the culmination of six intensive weeks of fundraising efforts by Broadway and Off-Broadway company members as well as numerous productions currently on national tour. Curtain speeches, autographed poster and program sales, auctions and cabaret performances bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars from audiences prior to the competition.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fund raising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American theater community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since it’s founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $100 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.