The River : BC/EFA time!

[jo]

It's auction time

CatsPolitics ‏@catspolitics · 53m53 minutes ago
Here's @realhughjackman auctioning the shirt off his back tonight for @bcefa. Winning bid: $6000 #theatre #Broadway

[jo]

I guessed it right -- he was going to auction off the cranberry shirt off his back


Complete with his DNA and fumes from cooking fish

This is usually fun time - when Hugh's charisma is at its best



Anybody know what else are on offer now ?

Signed posters and signed playbills -- and how much?

Are the ladies also offering any personal items for the auction?


Jo

[mamaleh]

Last night, the first night of the auction, he auctioned off two cranberry-colored T-shirts for $7,500 each. An unknown number of audience members who wanted photos backstage were directed to head for "the bedroom" (the offstage area) for their $2,000 photo op. The signed window cards/posters go for $200. He signs only playbills post show at the barricade. He pointed out Jack Viertel, who heads up BC/EFA, before beginning the auction.

Update: I heard that at today's matinee, the signed window cards went for $100.

Ellen

[jo]

The ladies in the cast are probably just discovering the uber-playful side to Hugh's personality

[jo]

From one of the regulars at ATC --

Kudos to Jackman, the Hugh-manitarian


Posted by: WaymanWong 12:49 am EST 11/20/14


After last night's bows at ''The River,'' Hugh Jackman was willing to give the shirt off his back ... for a great charity: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He auctioned off the T-shirt he wore in the show for a top bid of $5,000 and sold another one to the runner-up bidder of $4,000. These winners also were offered a backstage meet-and-greet with the cast, and a chance to take photos. (You also could get the backstage visit itself for $2,000 a pop.)

As for ''The River,'' I bought Jackman hook, link and sinker, but it wasn't easy to make heads or tails of the play.

[jo]

Someone captured one auction on video --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGYJpNMYAbg



And another one --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6HCvptGQx8



And still another one --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8IB2tg9t3g

[jo]

The 2014 Gypsy Fundraising culminating event for Broadway Cares/EFA is December 9. Will Hugh be there?

This is from the 2011 Drive, where Hugh receives a special award for his partial efforts ( he will continue and complete the 6-week drive on his own) --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAv_CUmAmIg

If I am not mistaken, he would raise over a million dollars overall when he completed his fundraising efforts while doing BACK ON BROADWAY.

[annetter]

Hugh raised over 1 million for each of his Bway performances & each topped the one before. For a total of almost 4.5 million
I assume The River will do the same
As with all of his other skills, his auctioneering skills r amazing

[jo]

Hope we get an upload of the proceedings for Dec 9, if Hugh attends the event.


Jo

[jo]

Hugh Jackman and THE RIVER are top fundraisers for Broadway Cares, despite its 3-week only fundraising drive --

www.broadwayworld.com/article/BCEFAs-GYPSY-OF-THE-YEAR-Competition-Breaks-Records-With-Over-5-Million-Hugh-Jackmans-THE-RIVER-Brings-in-Top-Donation-20141209

BC/EFA's GYPSY OF THE YEAR Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million; Hugh Jackman's THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation



December 9


5:57 PM

2014

by BWW News Desk




BC/EFA's GYPSY OF THE YEAR Competition Breaks Records With Over $5 Million; Hugh Jackman's THE RIVER Brings in Top Donation

The 26th annual edition of Gypsy of the Year raised a record-breaking $5,229,611 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS thanks to six weeks of fundraising by 64 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies.

The grand total was announced Tuesday, December 9, 2014, by special guests Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane and Judith Light after two stellar performances of original dances, songs and skits by more than 200 "gypsies" from Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

Since 1989, the 26 editions of Gypsy of the Year (#gypsyoftheyear) have raised $62.4 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The previous record high for Gypsy of the Year fundraising was $4,895,253 set in 2011.

A standing-room-only audience at the New Amsterdam Theatre, home to Disney's Aladdin, erupted with cheers and applause as Jackman, Lane and Light also presented awards to the top fundraising companies and for the best performances in this year's show.

This year's top overall fundraiser was The River, which stars Jackman and raised $549,725. For the first time in history, the top two fundraising plays -- The River and It's Only a Play -- raised more than $1 million.

Here's how this year's fundraising competition ended:

Broadway (Musical)

Top Fundraiser Kinky Boots $233,544

1st Runner-Up Cabaret $217,699

2nd Runner-Up Beautiful: The Carole King Musical $195,773

3rd Runner-Up The Book of Mormon $193,181

Broadway (Play)

Top Fundraiser It's Only a Play $464,559

1st Runner-Up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time $115,980

Off-Broadway (Play or Musical)

Top Fundraiser Avenue Q $19,237

National Tours

Top Fundraiser Kinky Boots $329,734

1st Runner-Up Wicked - Munchkinland $257,880

2nd Runner-Up The Book of Mormon - Latter Day $242,756

3rd Runner-Up Wicked - Emerald City $205,386

The company of The Lion King took honors for the best onstage presentation for an emotional, socially charged dance, created by Ray Mercer. The number started with the word "Justice" written on a chalkboard wall. In a flurry of arm movements and flying chalk dust, artist Clarione Gutierrez transformed the wall into a dove of peace as dancers personified the struggles of racism and fairness which continue to capture today's headlines. The cast of Pippin, who will play their final Broadway performance in January, was runner-up as Nicolas Jelmoni and Charlotte O'Sullivan mesmerized the audience with incredible feats of strength and hand acrobatics while Syndee Winters sang Selah Sue's "This World."

Gypsy of the Year, which was presented this year on December 8 and 9, is an opportunity for the theatre community to celebrate their fundraising efforts and gather for the competitive variety show.

The show's spirited opening number celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Wiz, one of the first large-scale, big-budget Broadway musicals to feature an all-black cast and winner of seven Tony Awards in 1975.

Triumphantly returning to the yellow brick road, Dee Dee Bridgewater, André De Shields and Ken Page were met with rapturous applause from the energized audience. They were joined for the special performance by Charl Brown (Motown: The Musical), Carly Hughes (Pippin), Christina Sajous (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Ashley Stroud, Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King) and Lillias White (Fela). The opening number was directed by T. Oliver Reid and choreographed by Brian Harlan Brooks, assisted by Torya Beard, with music direction and arrangements by Ben Cohn.

In a fitting tribute to the groundbreaking show, White and her cast mates returned to close Gypsy of the Year with a powerhouse rendition of "Home," the finale from The Wiz.

Noted Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky ("Seth's Big Fat Broadway" on Sirius/XM Radio), served as host for his seventh consecutive Gypsy of the Year. Rudetsky welcomed a special appearance by James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), who performed an impressive freestyle rap based on a random topic yelled out by audience members.

In addition to Pippin, four shows playing their final Broadway performances in January joined the festivities for one last time.

· With a starry night sky as their backdrop, the company of Once performed a hauntingly beautiful acoustic version of the show's Act One finale, "Gold."

· After getting word that Justin Bieber might join Rock of Ages for its final week, the show's Frankie J. Grande broke loose with "I Beliebe," a parody of "I Believe" from The Book of Mormon dedicated to the teen heartthrob.

· With the help of 16 nimble-legged dancers, Nathan Lucrezio from Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella fulfilled two of his boyhood dreams in number called "The Rifferdancer," combining Michael Flatley-inspired Irish step dancing with Mariah Carey-inspired vocal riffing.

· The cast of Motown: The Musical used their final Gypsy of the Year appearance as an opportunity to amusingly beg for work after their show closes, concluding with the plaintive plea, "Hire me please."

This year's Gypsy of the Year also featured:

· The cast of Mamma Mia! being forced to re-audition for their roles in a take off of the opening scene of A Chorus Line

· A parody of the heart-wrenching ASPCA public service announcements presented with a Avenue Q spin seeking help for puppets who are "suffering alone, waiting for you to help."

· A poignant performance about love and loss by the cast of Aladdin, set to Beyoncé's "Halo" with live singers and a three-piece onstage band.

· The cast of Kinky Boots performing their show as if it were directed by John Doyle, who famously has reinterpreted classic musicals with actors serving as the show's orchestra by playing instruments.

· The gypsies of Chicago celebrating the production's place as the second-longest running show in Broadway history.

· The company of Wicked poking fun at the recent TV airing of Peter Pan Live by suggesting a Lady Gaga-as-Tinkerbell alternative.

Gypsy of the Year also featured special numbers recognizing national touring productions and the volunteers who help fundraise during Gypsy of the Year. In a number choreographed by Adam Fleming, Allyson Carr and Jakob Karr led 14 other dancers in a moving tribute to the 16 national tours that helped fundraising this season. The other special number, choreographed by Shea Sullivan, honored the 210 volunteers of the Broadway Cares "bucket brigade" who held buckets 3,778 shifts at Broadway theaters over the course of six weeks of audience appeals. Five of this year's most active bucket brigade volunteers were welcomed onto the stage: Steve Bratton, Francois Conradie, Esi Sogah, Katherine Sulenski and Marivic Tagala.

Celebrity presenters included Lena Hall and Michael C. Hall, who are currently starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Kevin Duda, Anika Larsen and Jarrod Spector from Beautiful - The Carole King Musical.

The esteemed panel of judges that selected the best presentation award winners was introduced by Lane and Matthew Broderick, who are starring together in the hit comedy It's Only a Play.

The judges were Julie Halston (You Can't Take It With You), Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Micah Stock (It's Only a Play), Jujamcyn Theaters Executive Vice President and BC/EFA Board of Trustees President Paul Libin and original Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS staffer Yvonne Ghareeb, who is retiring in January after 26 years with the organization. Also joining the panel are Lee Perlman and Peg Wendlandt, who won their judging spots by being high bidders on exclusive VIP packages at the 28th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September.

This year's show was directed by Kristin Newhouse with Jason Trubitt serving as production stage manager, leading a team of nine expert stage managers, and Ben Cohn as music supervisor, leading a 15-piece live orchestra. Lighting design was by Michael Jones and sound by Marie Renee Foucher.

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 $250 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states and is the major supporter of the social service 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, on Facebook at facebook.com/BCEFA, on Twitter at twitter.com/BCEFA, on YouTube at youtube.com/BCEFAtv and on Instagram at instagram.com/BCEFA.

Congrats to the fundraising team at THE RIVER!

[jo]

www.playbill.com/news/article/hugh-jackman-helps-make-gypsy-of-the-year-record-breaking-event-winners-announced-337018

Hugh Jackman Helps Make Gypsy of the Year Record-Breaking Event; Winners Announced

By Robert Viagas
09 Dec 2014



Hugh Jackman

Photo by Monica Simoes


The Lion King dancers and Hugh Jackman’s juggernaut fundraising skills proved a potent combination once again at the 26th annual Gypsy of the Year Competition, which raised an all-time record-breaking $5.2 million for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Lion King won Best Presentation for the third year in a row with “Is the Writing on the Wall?,” in which the show’s limber dancers circled a man in a top hat who sketched a dove of peace in chalk on a black wall.

Jackman’s auctioning of his sweaty shirts after each performance of his play The River — a strategy he perfected in 2011 on his show Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway — helped loft that show’s total to $549,725 so far beyond the next-highest earner (It’s Only a Play, with $464,559) that the judges took The River out of the competition and gave Jackman a Special Award for extraordinary effort, as they did in 2011.

The 2014 Gypsy of the Year, which took place Dec. 8 and 9 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, collected a grand total of $5,229,611, up sharply from last year’s $4,343,234, and finally besting 2011’s record $4.9 million. As has become custom, the afternoon show featured a vaudeville-like mixture of satirical skits, inspirational songs and virtuoso dance numbers, all performed by the "gypsies," the Broadway dancers who go from show to show and provide singing and dancing support to the leads.

As listed above, the second-highest fundraiser among all shows was the Broadway company of It’s Only a Play, whose collection baskets brought in $464,559, marking the first time that the two top fundraisers in any category were both non-musicals.

First runner-up for Best Stage Presentation went to Pippin’s "The World,” a death-defying pas de deux for two acrobats from that show, Nicholas Kelmoni and Charlotte O’Sullivan, that had audience hearts in their throats as he kept flinging her into the air, Apache-dance style, and catching her at the last possible moment.


Pippin's presentation

Photo by Monica Simoes

Fundraising awards were handed out by Jackman, Nathan Lane (It’s Only a Play) and Judith Light (Transparent).

Top Broadway musical fundraisers were The Book of Mormon with $193,181, Beautiful with $195,773, Cabaret with $217699, and Kinky Boots with $233,544.

Top national tour fundraisers included Wicked (Emerald City Tour) with $205,386, Book of Mormon (Latter Day Tour) with $242,756, Wicked (Munchkinland Tour) with $257,880 and Kinky Boots with $329,734.

The runner-up for Broadway play was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with $115,980. The top fundraiser among Off-Broadway shows was Avenue Q with $219,237.

These are the figures as announced from the stage Dec. 9. Some changes may be announced when accountants review totals received.

This year's Gypsy of the Year featured more than 200 Broadway and Off-Broadway performers. Shows that performed original numbers included Aladdin, Avenue Q, Chicago, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Motown: The Musical, Once, Pippin, Rock of Ages, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella and Wicked.

Judges for the 2014 "Gypsy of the Year" competition were performers Julie Halston (You Can’t Take It With You), Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed (Aladdin), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Micah Stock (It’s Only a Play), Jujamcyn Theaters Executive Vice President and BC/EFA Board of Trustees President Paul Libin and original Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS staffer Yvonne Ghareeb, who is retiring in January after 26 years with the organization; plus two winners of a fundraising bid to help adjudicate, Lee Perlman and Peg Wendlandt.

Additional details of the event will be posted later this evening.

Hugh has perfected the art of selling his t-shirt ( complete with his DNA) since way back, starting with The Boy from Oz!

[mamaleh]

Just got home. Yes, that was a crazy moment as Hugh announced the play that got the "top" spot. My heart sank a little. I thought: he can't be announcing his own play. So IT'S ONLY A PLAY must have won. Sure enough, that was the title he read. BUT...a few seconds later, Judith Light announces that a Special Award for Extraordinary Effort goes to... (and this is when Hugh looked a little sheepish, so it dawned on me that he did indeed come out on top!): THE RIVER. All pandemonium broke loose. Cush, Laura and the understudies all hugged each other and Hugh, of course. Incidentally, the casts of all the awards-earning shows that were present all wanted to get cozy with Hugh. It was pretty hilarious, especially when a cast member from KINKY BOOTS--whose sketch made fun of musicals director John Doyle who has his actors also play musical instruments--got down on her knees and grabbed Hugh's leg. Everybody wanted a turn, LOL. It was a mass love-in for Hugh, and really funny.

Just think--he raised appreciably more than IOAP, and in half the time! Wow. Since he's keeping it up for three more weeks, maybe he does have a good shot at breaking his record.

Ellen

[jo]

Thanks for sharing those special moments, Ellen

People do love him on Broadway

http://instagram.com/p/wZrurbspuW

[suefb]

What a lovely snap that person got in that instagram. Funny to think of somebody taking that discreetly while on stage. Looking forward to seeing some video of the event.

[jo]

www.broadway.com/buzz/178807/after-hugh-jackman-sells-his-shirts-26th-annual-gypsy-of-the-year-breaks-fundraising-record-for-bcefa/

Another account except the writer did not realize that THE RIVER ( which officially opened on November 16) only had three weeks to raise the funds.

Hugh may decide to extend his fundraising like he did in 2011 for Back on Broadway when he completed the six-week period until the late December.


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

As Ellen says -- everyone wants a hug from Hugh

http://instagram.com/p/waf4zDJN0y

[jo]

<giggle*>

[jo]

It looks like this instagram video clip was shot after the leg-hug with Hugh

http://instagram.com/p/waC5rJCSdd

Hugh looks somewhat embarrassed at such unabashed regard for him - LOL!


Jo

[mamaleh]

It was a virtual love-in for Hugh--not just by the cast of KINKY BOOTS but by all the award winners. I think he was a bit embarrassed at first but rode the tide of love and fun for a solid, audience-pleasing finish to this year's Gypsy of the Year.

Ellen

[jo]

Everyone wants a hug --

http://instagram.com/p/wahoiulG2c

[jo]

elisa g schneider ‏@corellianjedi2 · 11h11 hours ago
Loved @theriverplay; Wonderful performances by all! And great to see them continue BCEFA collections! #HughJackman

[jo]

Lia Chang ‏@liachang · 12h12 hours ago
.@bcefa's #GYPSYOFTHEYEAR @realhughjackman's @theriverplay Top $ @judithlight @nathanlane wp.me/pla1d-aTZ pic.twitter.com/zhvOWabnG3
Hugh Jackman, JudithLight, Nathan Lane and Tom Kirdahy

Hugh, Kerry, Laura, Jessica, and Cush!

[jo]

[jo]

Jill J ‏@justjillny · 2h2 hours ago
Love that @theriverplay is still collecting for @broadwaycares . Go @realhughjackman . #Broadway #play #donate #nyc