Every year around this time, the casts of Broadway shows make a spiel at the end of every performance and solicit audience donations for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which then makes donations to organizations caring and providing for people living with HIV and AIDS as well as to organizations dealing with women’s health issues such as breast and ovarian cancer.

Well, for the first time in BC/EFA history, the company that raised the most money happens to be out on the road. More specifically, the cast of Jersey Boys at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre raised $238,000.

To raise that much money, the San Francisco company, after singing their way through the life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, asked audience members to give on their way out of the theater, charged nominal fees for photo opportunities, sold signed posters and sold rag dolls (get it — like the Four Seasons song “Rag Doll”) they made themselves. They also performed a fundraising cabaret that included Jersey Boys trivia questions.

Applause applause to the Jersey Boys fundraising effort (headed by company member Jennifer Evans) and to Bay Area audiences for such stellar contributions.

For Jersey Boys info visit www.shnsf.com.