| . | 05/03/2009
The 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition
By: Elliot Rush
The 2009 Easter Bonnet Competition, now in its 23rd year, was a star-studded occasion. Many celebrities currently working on Broadway were on hand to host the event; judge the best Easter Bonnets and Easter Bonnet presentations; and award contributing members of the theatrical community for their creativity and amazing fundraising efforts. The participating celebrities included Jane Fonda, Jeremy Irons, Joan Allen, Susan Sarandon, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Geoffrey Rush, Andrea Martin, Marcia Mason and Tovah Feldshuh. This year’s competition, the culmination of six weeks of fundraising by cast members of many Broadway, off-Broadway, and National Touring productions raised a total of $3,407,858 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. The extravagant event was held on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, April 27th and 28th, at the Minskoff Theater, home of The Lion King.
Tomas Vrzala
Taking the top awards for outstanding presentation, best Easter Bonnet and most money raised by a Broadway show was the cast of 33 Variations, led by the remarkable Jane Fonda who was the only major celebrity to actually appear in a presentation. Her participation in a hilarious skit titled “Voluntary Rehearsal,” created by Michael Winther, Don Amendolia and company, ignited rousing cheers from an appreciative audience. A welcome addition to the Broadway season after a long absence, Ms. Fonda has been embraced by the community and deserves to be commended for lending her support. David Masenheimer designed the winning bonnet.
The afternoon started off on a high note with the surprise appearance of Liza Minnelli in the opening number. Looking great, Liza sang part of “New York, New York” as part of an opening medley entitled “Broadway Don’t You Bring Me No Bad News” performed by a large cast of singers and dancers. Joining the opening sequence were Broadway favorites Norm Lewis, Aisha Da Haas, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Bickenstaff, Julia Murney and the omnipresent Seth Rudetsky.
Per usual, the theatrical community loves to poke fun at itself and there was no shortage of pointed jokes at the expense of many. Patti LuPone came under fire in several skits, alluding to her infamous outburst during a performance of Gypsy; as did West Side Story in reference to some of the spoken dialogue and lyrics performed in Spanish. Most of the skits presented did so with good humor. The cast of Shrek, in deference to itself, proposed the improvement of musical numbers in other Broadway shows with farting; whereas Mary Poppins proposed the improvement of musical numbers by throwing in a tap routine. Chicago did a clever take-off on the “Cellblock Tango” called the “Chopping Block Tango” sung by one of the characters from each of six different shows that closed in January.
Current themes in the news also entered into some of the presentations. Octomom was skewered by the cast of Wicked and the YouTube sensation Miranda was presented by the cast of Mamma Mia! This year once again brought out the biting wit of Officer Lockstock and Little Sally; a.k.a. Don Richard and Jen Cody. But the highlight of the afternoon for pure admiration and awe was the return appearance of Doris Eaton Travis, now 105 years old. She told a wonderful story of joining the Ziegfeld Follies at the age of 14 in 1918 and led the adorable young ballerinas and Greg Jabara from Billy Elliot in a sweet dance routine. A true delight.
Overall, the level of inspiration and inventiveness at The Easter Bonnet Competition this year was not quite as high as it has been in the past. But the added star power packed a punch and all in all, it was a pleasurable afternoon for all. Congratulations to everybody involved for their tireless efforts, continued dedication and heartfelt contributions to a worthy cause. Judging the Easter Bonnets were Laura Benanti, Brian D’Arcy James, Marsha Mason, Steven Pasquale, Alice Ripley, and the cast of God of Carnage; Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Jeff Daniels.
For more information on BCEFA go to http://www.bcefa.org/
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