Talk about a showstopper: Attendees at a recent performance of Broadway’s The Music Man got an extra treat when Oscar winner Nicole Kidman popped up from the audience and dropped a cool $100,000 for an autographed hat being auctioned by the show’s star, Hugh Jackman, to support HIV causes.

Auctions of Broadway-related posters and props are one of several of signature fundraising efforts for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), which has raised over $300 million since 1998 for services to help those living with and affected by HIV in all 50 states. The nonprofit also helps those dealing with COVID-19 and other illnesses, and it funds several health initiatives for the entertainment community.

Directly after the show’s curtain call on November 27, Jackman and the cast were auctioning items when Kidman yelled out to bid on the hat. The iconic actress then walked down the aisle toward the stage, where Jackman, a fellow Aussie, handed her the microphone.

“I love you,” she said. “I love Broadway. And I love what they do, Broadway Cares, but I also want to say this show is extraordinary.”

“I’ve known Nic for almost 30 years,” Jackman told the crowd. “I’ve worked with her. I can tell you this is not a surprise to me. She is one of the most generous souls I know. You’re a beautiful person. I love you. Thank you.”

Luckily, according to Queerty.com, an audience member recorded the moment, and Jackman posted it on Twitter (see the post above), writing: “The generosity emanating from #NicoleKidman leaves me speechless! You ARE amazing. Thank you for your friendship and support! @MusicManBway @NicholastheWard @BCEFA”

In other BC/EFA news, the nonprofit has released the 2022 addition to its Broadway Legends ornaments series: Billy Porter as Lola in Kinky Boots!

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Designed by artist Glen Hanson in collaboration with the Christopher Radko Company, the Porter ornament is the latest in a collectible line of ornaments depicting iconic Broadway characters such as Patti LuPone as Eva Perón in Evita, Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray and Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.

“I am thrilled and humbled to join the pantheon of artists who have created iconic work on Broadway and are now immortalized in these beautiful glass ornaments,” said Porter, the Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-winning star who played Pray Tell in TV’s Pose. “It’s a dream,” he added in a press statement, “a holiday dream come true.”

The Broadway Legends series launched in 2008 with an ornament of Angela Lansbury as Mame Dennis in Mame. Several of the ornaments are sold out; the Billy Porter ornament is back-ordered but still available (as of December 6) for $70. You can peruse and order the ornaments on BroadwayCares.org, where you’ll find other holiday treats such as these Playbill ornaments:

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Porter made headlines in May 2021 when he disclosed his HIV status in a Hollywood Reporter cover story. For details, see “Billy Porter Says He’s Been Living With HIV Since 2007 [VIDEO]” and “Billy Porter Says He’s ‘No More Shamed’ Since Disclosing His HIV.”

For related news on Lansbury, the beloved star of TV (Murder, She Wrote), film and stage who died in October at age 96, see “Angela Lansbury Was Also a Pioneering AIDS Advocate.”

To read more articles about BC/EFA fundraisers, click #Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. You’ll find “Watch XXX Broadway Talent Bare It All to Fight HIV,” about the 30th annual Broadway Bares fundraising event, and “It’s Showtime! HIV Fundraisers Return to Broadway,” about Red Bucket campaigns. To learn more about the history of BC/EFA and how its funds support HIV and AIDS family service programs as well as research, see the POZ cover story “The Show Must Go On.”

Finally, in honor of World AIDS Day, which is observed each December 1, the newly opened Museum of Broadway features an exhibit highlighting the theater community’s AIDS advocacy and honoring those lost to and living with HIV. The exhibit features “the Broadway Cares AIDS quilt, a handcrafted tapestry that mourns those who died and shows solidarity with those living with HIV/AIDS,” according to a BC/EFA Instagram post (below). “It’s surrounded by artist @debbiemillman’s visual tribute to those no longer with us and a striking red ribbon installation by artist HOTxTEA. This stirring display of remembrance and reminder that HIV/AIDS is still with us can be visited today, on World AIDS Day, as well as throughout the year. A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold to the museum benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.”

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