Tom Hanks and More Help Broadway Cares’ 2013 Easter Bonnet Competition Raise a Record-Breaking $4.25 Million

The 27th annual Easter Bonnet Competition, which this year featured a host of stars from Tom Hanks to Cyndi Lauper, raised a record-breaking $4,250,542 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The event, held at the Minskoff Theatre on April 22 and 23, boasted a guest list of this Broadway season’s top stars including Lucky Guy’s Hanks, Kinky Boots composer Lauper and book writer Harvey Fierstein, Pippin’s Andrea Martin and The Nance’s Nathan Lane. The competition featured original presentations, songs, dances and custom-made bonnets, all designed to raise money for charity (the event has raised more than $53 million since it began in 1987).

The Kinky Boots company took home the top honors for best presentation, with the number featuring the casts of Annie and Newsies taking the runner-up slot. The bonnet design award resulted in a tie for The Lion King and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The top fundraising award went to Lucky Guy, which raised $301,549. The full totals are as follows:

Broadway
First Runner-up: Wicked - $244,431
Second Runner-up: The Book of Mormon - $232,260
Third Runner-up: The Phantom of the Opera - $172,435

National Touring Shows
Top Fundraiser: The Book of Mormon - Latter Day Company - $278,054
First Runner-up: Wicked - Munchkinland - $273,637
Second Runner-up: Wicked - Emerald City - $241,030
Third Runner-up: The Book of Mormon - Jumamosi - $188,621

Off-Broadway
Top Fundraiser: Avenue Q - $33,426
First Runner-up: My Name is Asher Lev - $33,149

Also joining the celebration were Jessie Mueller (who performed the event’s anthem “Help is on the Way”), Reeve Carney, Victoria Clark, Robert Cuccioli, Katie Finneran, Shalita Grant, Ann Harada, Harriet Harris, Andy Karl, Ron Kunene, Tshidi Manye, Marin Mazzie, Christopher McDonald, Judy McLane, Mark Nelson, Christine Pedi, Billy Porter, Seth Rudetsky and Peter Scolari. Judges for the competition included Gregg Barnes, Josh Bergasse, Deborah Cox, Constantine Maroulis, Cady Huffman, Paul Libin, Holland Taylor, Michael Urie, Hollis Stern and Peg Wendlandt.