JB National Tour Wins Top Prize in BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Competition!
April 24th, 2007Showing that theatergoers’ generosity knows no geographical bounds, the national touring company of Jersey Boys staged an upset April 24, winning the grand prize at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ 21st annual Easter Bonnet Competition by raising $236,844 in support of people facing HIV/AIDS. It’s the first time a show other than a musical on Broadway won the top prize! Read the entire story on Playbill.com.
Congratulations to Jersey Boys national tour!
Congratulations to the National Tour of Jersey Boys! I was there during the last week they were collecting and seeing Chris Jones pull $2 out of his own pocket surely spurred many in the audience to give even more. Way to go!!
Comment by Vicki — April 24, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
Yes, Bay Area audiences have been generous. There’s no argument there. But a great deal of the credit has to go to the incredible cast of the 1st National Tour and the magic they create on stage night after night. The producers of this show uncovered a gold mine when they cast this touring company. I’ve never seen the Broadway version and am making no comparisons. Their Tony Awards speak for themselves. I can only say that the sheer talent and synergy of the touring cast is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in the theatre. I feel privileged to have been here to see this cast in its original form because I may never see the likes of it again. They shared so much of themselves with Bay Area audiences since December that it was only natural for us to want to give back during the weeks of Broadway Cares. I doubt that many of us have EVER been so happy to do so.
Comment by Andrea Kim — April 24, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
The SF audiences at the Curran Theatre are generous and philantrophic to say the least! I’ve seen plays on Broadway, off Broadway in Las Vegas and now Jersey Boys, my first National Touring Cast show (fourth time upcoming), and even though this is the first time we’ve donated to a great and important cause at the theatre, there is never any hesitation to donate at each show we’ve attended.
After every show, we donate both to the Jersey Girls in the lobby and also to Jennifer Evans, who is the National Tour I swing, at the concession stand. Also, I donate directly to John Lloyd Young, and even though he’s 3000 miles from San Francisco, I owe a debt of gratitude to his cast as well because they started the show on Broadway and opened my eyes to the story of the Four Seasons with their show teasers on TV.
It’s not a competition between the shows, but more like the entire Broadway, Off Broadway, Community Theatre and National Tour family caring about others through their charitable actions. Thanks!
Comment by Mike B. Magbaleta — April 24, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
Wow…. huge congratulations to the Tour for this record setting feat! But from the reaction of audiences in California, I guess it’s not entirely a surprise.
The Easter Bonnet event in NYC was entertaining… especially if you like edgy jokes with no boundaries. Although JB did not present this year, Journey’s End did a hilarious spoof contrasting themselves to Jersey Boys. It was pointed out that, although they pull off their show without certain features such as the big productions of other shows, etc, they also do it without audience members. With a one to one ratio of cast to ticket holders, the show is known for its intimacy. And with weekly grosses the same as Jersey Boys… just without the “one” in the million column, they deal with the alphabetical fluke that stuck them right next to JB in the weekly reports. While dressed in their WW I costumes, the ‘men’ from this non- musical willingly took on the songs of their ‘boy’ brothers and sang “Oh What a Night”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like A Man”.
It was a short, but sweet, sentimental moment. (My other favorite was In the Heights rap rendition of “Tradition” from Fiddler. Really great). My thanks to Buz and Irene for enabling Howard and me to attend this interesting event.
Comment by Audrey — April 24, 2007 @ 8:02 pm
They had some great rewards for donations — the backstage tour, the rag dolls, the signed playbills. And, of course, “One Night Only.”
And the prices were actually fairly reasonable when you consider other similar auctions.
YAY BAY AREA! YAY US!
Comment by Leanna — April 24, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
It is so wonderful to hear that the national tour cast has the same effect on it’s audience as the Broadway cast does. Awesome!
Comment by Catherine — April 25, 2007 @ 5:22 pm