My Day at the Flea Market

Expecting bad weather, my friends and I spent a good part of Saturday monitoring the New York City weather forecast.  It fluctuated between a 30% to an 80% chance. Ick, right?  Well, it turned out that all three of us bringing our umbrellas to the 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction not only kept the rain at bay, but the sun even made a few appearances!

Of course, the real success of the day was the over one-half a million dollars raised for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS!  For details and more numbers, check out THIS.

For me, there is no other event where I feel so connected to the world around me.  I mean, think about it, thousands of people who share a love and passion for theatre coming together for a great cause, and also submerge ourselves in more than city block's worth of memories, history and art.  And the fact that right along with us are the artists themselves, volunteering time, and not just photo ops and autographs, but real time talking to fans.  How fortunate we all are to share such an experience like this. 

Here are a few of my impressions of the day:

• Best Trend: BRIGHT COLORS!  RED: Godspell; ORANGE: Lysistrata Jones; YELLOW: The Lion King  You couldn't help but notice them even in a tight 44th Street crowd or the sensory overload of Times Square.  The yellow beacon of The Lion King's booth tent... the orange sign, pom poms and basketballs of Lysistrata Jones brought life, and crowds to their simple booth, and the bright red of the t-shirts and hats of the street team, passing out fliers, and again on the cast members at their booth.
• Best Mini-Trend: Balls.  Yes, balls.  Both Lombardi and Lysistrata Jones had balls - foot and basket, respectively.  And what fun... squeezey stress relievers and fun bath toys both!
• Best Connection:  The cast and crew of Lysistrata Jones!  They did what all the best do: reach out and relate.  Not only did they cheer on every single brave soul who tried to win tickets by shooting baskets, but they took time to chat and laugh with anyone who wanted to.  Patti Murin and Teddy Toye are the very picture of grace, warmth and enthusiasm... their attitude alone would make me want to buy tickets.  (And I would have bought them then and there, but I already have them!)

• Best Freebies:  The free tattoos from Godspell and the free pom poms from Lysistrata Jones.  Free is great, even at a fund raiser, but these accomplished much more.  Every time a smiling face walked by with that show logo on it, I thought of Godspell, and every time I saw someone carrying one, or saw one left behind at another table, or even the two or three I saw on the street, the bright orange and the fun, fizzy plastic reminded me of Miss Jones and her jock friends!  (This show will go miles in bridging the gap between the jocks and the drama geeks!)
• Best High End Memorabilia: The goods at the War Horse booth.  Not just signed Playbills and posters, but unique magnets featuring all of the puppeteers, and beautiful sketches of the set, mounted and autographed.
• Best Memorabilia for the Everyday Masses: $1.00 posters at the Triton Gallery booth, $3 posters at the ITS booth, $10 dollar posters at The Book of Mormon table.  A savvy, patient shopper can find some real bargains... TIP FOR NEXT YEAR: Go back several times to the Triton Gallery booth.  The stock is constantly changing.
• Best Personal Find:  A mint condition Chicago window card featuring Sandy Duncan!  An actual board poster is probably very expensive, and only a photo reproduction of it is available from Triton Gallery for just $75!  My actual poster, sans flaws? $3.00!!!

My final haul: a Lombardi ball: $1.00; window cards: Lombardi: $1, Chicago:$3, Broadway Bares 19.0: $5, and a pristine Anything Goes: $10.00; a Sweeney Todd (LuPone/Cerveris) CD sampler $1, Lysistrata Jones pom pom: FREE.  $21.00 for a bounty of stuff I love and can't get anywhere else.  Not bad!

I am really looking forward to next year's event already.  And all shows should take note of the two shows who really stood out, Godspell and Lysistrata Jones.  And just think, neither of those shows have even opened yet!  I can only imagine how great those shows will be...

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Jeff
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The 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market

Tomorrow, probably my favorite theatre charity event of the year takes place, the Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction.  And this year marks the event's 25th year! 

It takes place on W. 44th Street (home to The Phantom of the Opera, Memphis, Rock of Ages, and soon, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) and will "spill out into Times Square.  The event will take place light drizzle or shine on Sunday, September 25 from 10AM - 7PM.

The Flea Market features booths from most of the Broadway shows, selling everything from home made baked goods to posters to props actually used in the show.  Other booths sell vintage souvenirs, one of a kind photos, and long out of print cast recordings on vinyl, cassette and CD.  The array of things would be impossible to list here.  But the best thing is that you don't have to be rich to find something from your favorite shows - items start at under $1, and the later it goes, the better the bargains!

The Wicked booth and Memphis stars Montego Glover and Chad Kimball

sign autographs at last year's flea market

For slightly more money, you can pay to go through the photo booth and have your picture taken with today's biggest Broadway and daytime TV stars.  Or you can pay a flat fee and get autographs from your favorite celebs as you walk the autograph line.  There are usually three or four sets of stars, and you pay each time you walk through.  But it is a chance to say hi and get signatures from almost 100 stars!

The Grand Auction

But if you do have extra cash and really want to contribute to the cause, there is the Grand Auction, where you can bid on huge prize packs from all the shows, one of a kind personalized items from Broadway legends like Bernadette Peters and Angela Lansbury.  Several shows are auctioning off walk on parts and backstage experiences.

If you've never been before, you really should try it.  It has become an annual tradition for Mike, a close friend of ours, and I.  We get there bright and early and check out all the tables before we buy anything Sometimes you can find the same thing, only cheaper, at different booths.  And we have also found that we've purchased an item we liked, only to find something we've LOVED later, but couldn't afford it or carry it!  Then we grab a quick bite and head off to a big Broadway show.  So far, it has always been a show we are re-visiting, or that one of the three of us somehow missed.  Previously, it's been The Lion King and Wicked.  I'll tell you all about it early next week!

There are always huge crowds of theatre lovers!

For more information, including pre-bids for auction items, a full list of celebrity autographs and times, as well as a look at the tables and auction items go to http://www.broadwaycares.org/home.


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Jeff
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