Photo by Peter James Zielinski
Broadway’s brightest stars, more than 60 theatre-themed tables and exciting, on-the-spot “flash auction” experiences will help Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and tens of thousands of theatre fans celebrate the 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction on Sunday, September 25.
The event, which is free and open to the public, runs from 10 AM – 7 PM on West 44th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and, for the first time, now extends into Times Square, between 43rd and 44th Streets.
From posing for photos with your favorite Broadway and television stars, to buying that lost cast recording, autographed show posters and Playbills, rare costume sketches or special gift you can’t find anywhere else – the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises something for everyone.
Broadway’s biggest shows will be represented by tables offering show biz treasures not available anywhere else, including props and set pieces, custom-made keepsakes from costumes and rigging, handcrafted ornaments and dolls, and other theatrical riches.
The Grand Auction has always been a highlight of the event and this year will not disappoint.
New for 2011 are special “flash auctions” which feature instant experiences with Broadway stars live on the Grand Auction stage, including:
- Spamalot karaoke with Tony Award-nominated Spamalot star Christopher Sieber
- A coaching session with Chicago star and former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi
- An on-the-spot appearance in the hit web series “Side by Side by Susan Blackwell”
- Your favorites tunes sung especially for you by Rent star Anthony Rapp and Wicked star Julia Murney
- Your outgoing voice mail message recorded in the voice of the diva of your choice by singer and comedian Christine Pedi, known for her spot-on impersonations
The live auction wraps up the day, starting at 4:30 pm in Times Square between 43rd and 44th Streets. Among the more than 40 astounding lots included in the live auction are:
- Tickets to the by-invitation-only opening night of Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway
- The ultimate Barbara Streisand package, featuring three wonderful items signed by Streisand specifically for this year’s Grand Auction. The items include an extremely rare, original movie card from Funny Girl, a deluxe version of Ms. Streisand’s new CD What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman and the DVD One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard.
- A VIP evening at The Book of Mormon, including a backstage meet-and-greet with stars Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells.
- Backstage meet-and-greets with Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Reeve Carney and Patrick Page, Brooke Shields and Roger Rees, the stars of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the cast of War Horse and the cast of Godspell
- A signed portrait of Elizabeth Taylor in her dressing room, backstage at Broadway’s Little Foxes, one of her only two Broadway appearances. The photograph was generously autographed by Taylor just last year as a special favor for Broadway Cares.
- Opening night tickets for Bonnie & Clyde, Carrie, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Evita, Lysistrata Jones, Man and Boy, The Mountaintop, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, Noel Coward’s Private Lives, Seminar, Stick Fly and Venus in Fur
- Walk-on roles in Chicago, Disney’s The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, Memphis, The Phantom of the Opera, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Rock of Ages, Sister Act and Wicked
- An behind-the-scenes look at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark including watching the pre-show “flight call” for the flying sequences and a post-show backstage tour
- Set visits (including hotel and airfare) to the hit TV shows “Modern Family,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Harry’s Law” in Los Angeles
Prior to the live auction, beginning at 10 am, a new collection of silent auction lots will be up for bid every 30 minutes. Among the one-of-kind theater memorabilia available are:
- Autographed props and wardrobe pieces from American Idiot, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Driving Miss Daisy, Next to Normal, The Normal Heart, Shrek, A Steady Rain and more
- Musical phrases handwritten and signed by Billie Joe Armstrong, Mel Brooks, Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Stephen Sondheim and others
- An Equus marquee photo, taken by photographer Peter James Zielenski and signed by Equus star Daniel Radcliffe
- A Kristin Chenoweth autographed package of CDs
- A Hello, Dolly! poster signed by Carol Channing
- A framed photograph and check signed by comedy legend Lucille Ball
- Official posters autographed by dozens of participants in past Tony Awards, Gypsy of the Year, Easter Bonnet Competition and Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction
- Playbills, posters, CDs and other theatre memorabilia signed by the companies of American Idiot, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Catch Me If You Can, In the Heights, Jerusalem, La Bête, La Cage aux Folles, Mamma Mia!, Master Class, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, The Scottsboro Boys, That Championship Season, War Horse and more
More than 60 celebrities are scheduled to appear at the always popular Autograph Table and Photo Booth. Each hour beginning at 11 AM a new group of celebrities will their places on the deck of Junior’s Restaurant near the Flea Market. In exchange for donations to Broadway Cares, fans can get autographs and pictures with Broadway and television stars.
This year’s line-up includes Josh Gad, Nikki M. James, Andrew Rannells and Rory O’Malley from The Book of Mormon; Colin Donnell, Sutton Foster, Adam Godley and Joel Grey from Anything Goes; Victoria Clark and Patina Miller from Sister Act; Danny Burstein, Jayne Houdyshell, Jan Maxwell, Rob Raines and Terri White from Follies; Nick Adams and Tony Sheldon from Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Jackie Hoffman, Brad Oscar and Roger Rees from The Addams Family, Christopher J. Hanke and Rose Hemingway from How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying as well as other stars like Bryan Batt, Charles Busch, Bobby Cannavale, Jason Danieley, Brian d’Arcy James, Joyce DeWitt, Michael Emerson, Ana Gasteyer, Montego Glover, Jonathan Groff, Megan Hilty, Beth Leavel, Telly Leung, Marin Mazzie, Laura Osnes, Patrick Page, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Alice Ripley and many more.
For a complete list of celebrities and their appearance times, go to www.broadwaycares.org. All appearances are subject to change.
On Sunday, a map of the Flea Market tables, complete lists of all silent and live auction lots, and the autograph table and photo booth schedule will be available for smartphone users at www.broadwaycares.org/flea.
To celebrate the extension in Times Square, there will be an “official photo spot” at Broadway and 44th Street where fans can take an iconic picture that can be shared with Broadway Cares’ followers on Facebook and Twitter. Any pictures taken at the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction can be emailed to pics@broadwaycares.org.
Attendees checking in on Foursquare at the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction location will receive a special discount on purchases of official Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS merchandise.
Additional details about the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction are available at broadwaycares.org and through Facebook (http://facebook.com/BCEFA) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCEFA)
Last year, the 24th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction raised an astounding $476,917, bringing the event’s 24-year total to $8,638,669.
Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the 25TH Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction is sponsored by United Airlines and The New York Times.
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 more than $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 and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.
For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org.