Celebrities scheduled to appear at the Celebrity Autograph Table and Photo Booth in exchange for donations to BC/EFA include: Kate Baldwin (Finian's Rainbow), Bryan Batt (TV's "Mad Men"), Susan Blackwell (title of show), Heidi Blickenstaff (title of show), Mario Cantone (Sex and the City), Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America), Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Avenue Q), Jason Danieley (Next to Normal), Ana Gasteyer (Wicked & "Saturday Night Live"), Malcolm Gets (The Story of My Life), Mandy Gonzalez (Wicked, In the Heights), Montego Glover (Memphis), Julie Halston (The Divine Sister), Ann Harada (Avenue Q), Jessica Hecht (A View from the Bridge), Matthew Hydzik (West Side Story), Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu, Finian's Rainbow), Gregory Jbara (Billy Elliot), Andy Karl (Wicked), Chad Kimball (Memphis), Levi Kreis (Million Dollar Quartet), Dan Lauria (Lombardi), Aaron Lazar (A Little Night Music), Judith Light (Lombardi), Robert Britton Lyons (Million Dollar Quartet), David Andrew MacDonald ("Guiding Light"), Marin Mazzie (Next to Normal), Debra Monk (Curtains), Julia Murney (Wicked), Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific), Patrick Page (Spider-Man), Karine Plantadit (Come Fly Away), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Vanessa Ray (Hair & "As the World Turns"), Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), Chita Rivera (Nine, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Elizabeth Stanley (Million Dollar Quartet), John Tartaglia (Shrek The Musical & Avenue Q), Colleen Zenk ("As the World Turns")
*All appearances are subject to change.
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For the most part it's a sad list. Hardly anyone you can't just meet any night of the week outside te stage door. I was hoping for Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones as well.
I do see a few I would be interested in, but they'd have to all be at the same table to make me want to go through.
"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005
"You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
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Vanessa Redgrave and Bernadette Peters have both done it within the past couple of years, so I'm hopeful that they will be doing it this year.
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
"you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start"
"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
I'd also like to see some of the ladies from Women on the Verge.
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The lineup will get better, it always does. It won't surprise me a bit to see Bernadette added to the list.
That being said, I'm not that disappointed with the lineup so far. The prospects of a Dan Lauria/Judith Light photo op have me very excited!
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^If they had a photo booth with Patti and Laura at the same time, I'll die! Then again, I wished for a Patti/Boyd/Laura photo-op when Gypsy was playing and that didn't happen, but at least Laura did it.
I'm looking forward to seeing who they add. You know there's gonna be like 239734 soap/tv stars too.
I forgot this is just the beginning list. Even the day of last year, there were some surprises.
Maybe they'll get Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes.
"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005
"You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
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mikem: recently, Bernadette did last year...but not in 2008. Vanessa Redgrave was scheduled I believe for the last 2 years but she did not attend either year.
As for the first announcement of people that will be at the tables, let's just hope the guys that are added over the next few weeks improve the list. I have nothing against any of the people already announced, but when you say celebrity autograph table and there's only one huge name and 74 other people....need I finish the sentence...?
I personally am always puzzled why TV + soap opera stars are at this Broadway charity event that's for the theatre.
How about we get some people from the upcoming shows? Patti Lupone...Sherrie Rene Scott...Sutton Foster...and since we're paying for this, how about we get someone really big like Sondheim there? David Yazbek...David Hyde Pierce...Nathan Lane...Laura Linney...etc. I think we could all go on naming great people who should be there.
QuizKing- I hope you are able to go and get your playbill signed by Cheyenne Jackson- you mentioned it the other day- wish I could be there- my special favorite Julie Halston is listed!! She's great! Didn't see Marian Seldes on the list- hope she's feeling better since her surgery
musicman_bwayfan-They probably get celebrities based on being in New York. Many soap operas film there. Although, I wonder what will be done this year since some have ended and All My Children moved to LA. I think the other reason is to have enough people for later tables when many of the Broadway folks will be gone for shows.
And oddly enough, I think when I have watched Soapnet in the past, I do recall them advertising for events with their stars that supports BC/EFA. And, some of them probably do have some theater experience too, don't forget.
"I don't want the pretty lights to come and get me."-Homecoming 2005
"You can't pray away the gay."-Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
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Yes Marianne2, I know they get a lot of NYC based celebrities...but since Broadway is here and this is what the main event is, why bring in so many non Broadway acting TV stars to take the place of the Broadway stars that people are coming to see? I've been to several of the Flea Market Celebrity Table signings. I'm probably one of the few who does all 5 hours every year. I remember a few years ago there were a few TV people that had absolutely no affiliation with the theatre what so ever and most likely live out in LA...I don't quite get BCEFA's reasoning for bringing these people in. I do realize that there are matinee shows etc, but the table signings start at 10 or 11 am (I'm a little tired at the moment and can't recall the start times) and most matinees don't start until 3 (or if you are w/ Roundabout then 2) so there is a little leeway before people have to sign in for their performances. Still while the times are convenient prior to matinees, they still should bring in more "good people." If they really want to make money, get the people that nearly anyone who's attending will pay for.
Vanessa Redgrave did the table in 2007, the same year she did Year of Magical Thinking. She and her siblings Corin and Lynn all did the photo booth together. I don't know if she originally was scheduled for the past two years, but I don't remember her name being on the final list in either case (but I might not remember that it was).
Bernadette also did the table in either 2006 or 2007 in addition to last year.
I'm not sure how it started, but the soaps have had a relationship with Broadway Cares for a while. They have their own event in March where soap stars perform.
In terms of having TV stars vs Broadway stars, I imagine that Broadway Cares is more focused on having celebrities with name recognition who are willing to do it than anything else. I doubt that they are turning down Broadway people we have been waiting for in favor of "TV people." If a "TV person" with name recognition is volunteering their time and effort (maybe because a friend or castmate is a Broadway Cares supporter), I think it makes sense for the charity to have them participate. Last year, they received several thousand dollars at the auction for a Saturday Night Live package, which you could argue has little to do with theater. I don't think they should have turned down the package.
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
"you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start"
"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
Psh, who cares about making money for the charity by attracting as wide a base as possible- clearly the flea market exists solely to make the theatre fans happy.
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knowing how