The Broadway Bears
Since this is the last week of the Broadway Bears XII pre-auction, the people at BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS are hoping that everyone will have a chance to see the 44 one-of-a-kind bears and learn more about them. The person in charge of the auction this year is Scott Stevens. In our conversation on Wednesday by phone, Scott was kind enough to give us permission to show you some of the bears and explain some of the details of the bears. He said that he was excited that we wanted to support the bears and the mission of the organization.
Cats
As of Saturday afternoon, the bear that has the highest bid is from CATS.
It is called Growltiger and is outfitted in an exact replica of his Broadway counterpoint. His costume is handcrafted and his tunic has been crocheted from 3 types of yarn. The bid for Growltiger stands at $5000.00
Equus
One of the featured bears this season represents the show, EQUUS. This unique work of art represents Alan, the young man in the show on one of his late-night rides. The metal skeletal horse head gives this bear a haunting look. Oh, nugget’s hooded eyes are special. They light up. The bid for Alan Strang with Nugget is $650.00 and is signed by 3 of the actors.
Starlight Express
Ashley from Starlight Express is signed by Audrea McArdle and is wearing an exact replica of the Tony-Award winning costume. Ashley represents the Smoking Car and her character is one of the female coaches that make the Twilight Express run. Her shoes?? No, Ashley wears roller skates. You could start the bidding for Ashley for $500.00
Shrek
Tim Hatley is the designer for the Shrek bear. The bear has added padding and has a very rounded mid-section. The highlight of this costume is the horned helmet he wears. It has been hand-crafted and painted silver. Be sure and check out the bushy eyebrows. Please remember that beauty is only skin-deep and start the bidding on Shrek for $500.00.
The musical Spamalot went all out when they designed and created the Sir Robin Bear. Since “musical theatre” is Sir Robin’s Grail, it is fitting that the bear is dressed to be a song-and-dance man. The detail in the costume of this bear is amazing. The teal-lined jacket is an Italian wool-gabardine and the lapels are hand-beaded with 375 peridot, green and silver beads. Handmade Swarovski-crystal and rhinestone buttons decorate the jacket front and sleeves.
Spamalot
The amazing checkerboard pattern of the vest was created with 1,076 beads and 80 Swarovski crystals. The artist was particularly careful with the shoes which are silver and white. They are also decorated with Swarovski crystals. More than 30 hours of work and love went into hand-beading the more than 1500 beads and crystals. The Sir Robin Bear has been signed by Clay Aiken and is looking forward to living in a loving home. The top bid for Sir Robin is now at $4,600.00
Last year, the Broadway Bears raised $130,878.00 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Their goal this year is to reach that total or even surpass it.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $140 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses.
If you want more information on the bears or would like tickets for the Auction on February 14th, visit http://www.broadwaycares.org/events/bears.cfm