Nick Jonas (How to Succeed), Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess) and Eric McCormack (The Best Man) are among the presenters set to appear at the 26th annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition. The event takes place April 23 and 24 at the Minskoff Theatre and celebrates the culmination of six weeks of fundraising by the theater community.
A slew of current Broadway stars are also set to appear at the Easter Bonnet Competition, including Stockard Channing, Judith Light and Stacy Keach (Other Desert Cities), Gavin Creel (Hair), Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon), Raven-Symoné (Sister Act), Michael Urie and Rob Bartlett (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), Corbin Bleu, Lindsay Mendez and George Salazar (Godspell) and Tshidi Manye and Ron Kunene (The Lion King).
Introduced by Seminar’s Jerry O’Connell and Justin Long, the onstage performances will be judged by Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy (Venus in Fur), Celia Keenan-Bolger and Adam Chanler-Berat (Peter and the Starcatcher), Megan Hilty (Smash), comedian Lisa Lampanelli, costume designer Carrie Robbins, Frank Wood (Clybourne Park) and Mark Anderson, United Airline's senior vice president of corporate and government affairs.
Also joining the judging panel are Stephanie Toups and Karen Walter, who both won their spots as high bidders of exclusive VIP packages at the 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction in September. Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess) will close the show with the traditional performance of the event's anthem, David Friedman's "Help Is On the Way."
Current productions scheduled to perform and present bonnets include Anything Goes, The Awesome 80s Prom, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Death of a Salesman, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Once, Other Desert Cities, The Phantom of the Opera and Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark, with a special performance presented by Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares.