BROADWAY CARES EASTER BONNET COMPETITION

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THE GLORIOUS CORNER

By: G.H. Harding

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Cyndi Lauper

EASTER BONNETS - The 27th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition returns tomorrow, featuring the companies of Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring productions offering skits, songs and dances, as well as elaborately designed and themed bonnets created especially for the competition.

The stars will align for this year's event as Tom Hanks, Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein, Andrea Martin and Nathan Lane join more than 200 of Broadway and Off-Broadway's most talented performers.

The 2013 edition of the Easter Bonnet Competition will again be presented at the Minskoff Theatre, currently the home of Disney's The Lion King.

Two-time Academy Award winner Hanks, Grammy Award winner Lauper and four-time Tony Award winner Fierstein will present the top fundraising and best presentation awards at the Tuesday performance.

Three-time Tony nominee Marin Mazzie will star in an original opening number, directed and choreographed by Al Blackstone. Tony nominee Jessie Mueller will close the show with the traditional performance of "Help is on the Way," BC/EFA's Easter Bonnet anthem.

Stars scheduled to appear include Tony winner Victoria Clark, Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli, two-time Tony winner Katie Finneran, Shalita Grant, Ann Harada, Tony winner Harriet Harris, Andy Karl, Ron Kunene, Tshidi Manye, Christopher McDonald, Judy McLane, Mark Nelson, Billy Porter; three-time Emmy Award nominee Peter Scolari, and, 10-year old Nicholas Lampiasi, from Disney’s Newsies.

Productions scheduled to perform and present bonnets include A Christmas Story: The Musical, Ann, Annie, Avenue Q, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Chicago, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia!, Newsies, Once, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Disney's The Lion King and Wicked, with a special performance by MOMIX representing Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares, and a special bonnet presented by the Broadway Green Alliance.

Easter Bonnet Competition is a two-day Broadway spectacular that features the companies of Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring productions singing, dancing and donning elaborate and often outrageous original bonnets. There will be two opportunities to see Easter Bonnet Competition: Monday, April 22 at 4:30 pm and Tuesday, April 23 at 2 pm. The 26 previous editions of Easter Bonnet Competition have raised more than $46 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Last year's event raised $3,706,085.

It's at The Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street, NYC.

ARKENSTONE GREMLINS --- In our wrap-up of Diane Arkenstone’s new album Union Road two columns back; we somehow scrambled up the title of one of her earlier works, The Best Of Diane Arkenstone. Our apologies. We’re still listening to a sensation track off the newer one, called “Corner of Nowhere” … just a simply mesmerizing track. One of the best songs we’ve yet heard this year. This album’s a gem.



Photo By: Walter McBride