Following a virtual edition in 2020 due to the pandemic, the annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction once again takes to the streets of New York City’s theatre district October 3 beginning at 10 AM. Theatre lovers around the world can also participate online.
The in-person event lines Shubert Alley and West 44th and West 45th Streets between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.
Among the shows represented with merchandise are American Utopia, Beetlejuice, Come From Away, Freestyle Love Supreme, Frozen, Hadestown, Hamilton, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Waitress. Fewer flea market tables are featured this year to allow fans the option to practice social distancing in the COVID-19 era.
The silent auction sets up shop in Shubert Alley starting at 10 AM, while the live auction, starting at 5 PM, is being held in the Times Square pedestrian plaza between 45th and 46th Streets.
Throughout the day, 144 silent auctions are being held in Shubert Alley, hosted by Todd Buonopane and Jennifer Cody. Every 30 minutes between 10 AM and 4 PM, new sets of memorabilia will be offered for in-person bids. Among the items up for auction are:
- Bette Midler-autographed, hand-painted hula girl Gucci handbag
- Autographed I Love Lucy script from 1956, signed by Desi Arnaz
- The Phantom of the Opera Playbill from 1988, signed by Michael Crawford
- Stephen Sondheim-signed Sunday in the Park with George 2017 Broadway cast recording CD
- “The New Divas” feature from Time Out New York magazine signed by Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Donna Murphy and Tonya Pinkins
- Beth Leavel’s script from The Drowsy Chaperone, autographed by Leavel
- Handwritten musical phrases from Come From Away, Something Rotten!, Wicked, and more
- Charcoal sketches drawn onstage by Jake Gyllenhaal during Sunday in the Park with George
- Gwen Verdon’s dressing room robe from Fosse
- A set of 1945 autograph books signed by Lucille Ball, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, and Elizabeth Taylor
The live auction, co-hosted by Dear Evan Hansen's Will Roland and Sky Lakota-Lynch, takes place at 5 PM ET in the Times Square pedestrian plaza between 45th and 46th Streets. Check out the lots available for pre-bidding. Among the many items to be auctioned:
- Private Zoom conversations with David Byrne, André DeShields, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Patti LuPone, Rob McClure, and more, along with VIP tickets to see their respective Broadway shows this fall
- Tony Award won by lighting designer Jules Fisher for Pippin
- Handwritten musical phrases from Beauty and the Beast, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen and more, signed by composers Alan Menken, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and Justin Paul and Benj Pasek
- Limited edition prints of iconic Al Hirschfeld drawings signed by Cher, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, and Bruce Springsteen
- Private, virtual meet and greets with Kristin Chenoweth, Jonathan Groff, Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, and more
- Two Barbra Streisand-signed vinyl albums of Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway and her most recent album, Release Me 2
- “Sisters” sheet music from a 2003 recording session signed by Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt
- A complete set of the 14 Broadway Cares Legends Holiday Ornaments, including the soon-to-be-announced 2021 edition
The fan favorite Autograph Table and Photo Booth moves online again this year with one-on-one video chats with Broadway favorites. The video chats, handled through the Looped app, begin at 11 AM and continue to 4 PM ET. (Reserve slots here.) Participants include Shoshana Bean (Waitress), Nadia Brown (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Ben Crawford (The Phantom of the Opera), Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!), Jennifer DiNoia (Wicked), Claybourne Elder (Company), Christopher Fitzgerald (Company), Drew Gehling (Waitress), Thayne Jasperson (Hamilton), Jenny Jules (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Javier Muñoz (Hamilton), Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), Lindsay Pearce (Wicked), and L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King).
Every dollar donated in person and online will go toward helping those across the country affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses receive healthy meals, lifesaving medication, emergency financial assistance, housing, counseling, and more. Last year’s virtual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction raised $316,282. Since 1987, the 34 editions of the beloved annual event have raised more than $15 million.
All Broadway Cares staff and volunteers working the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction will be fully vaccinated and wearing masks. Everyone visiting the event is encouraged to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Proof of vaccination and face coverings is required for the live auction. The in-person event is also following all other CDC, state, and local COVID-19 safety protocols.
For more information BroadwayCares.org.
