The Nurses' Ball

The Nurses' Ball is founded in 1994 by Lucy Coe as a fundraiser for HIV and AIDS awareness and research. It is held at the Port Charles Hotel (where the Metro Court Hotel stands today), and attended by most everyone in. The event includes acts by various citizens, including singing, acting and dancing. Lucy emcees the event, often with Katherine Bell, and has become notorious for usually ending up in her underwear somehow during the show. The Nurses' Ball becomes more personal for many in 1996 when local teenager Robin Scorpio is diagnosed with HIV. The last Nurses' Ball is held in 2001, said to be because of the lack of funding.

In 2012, nursing student Sabrina Santiago becomes determined to resurrect the Ball in memory of Robin, who is thought to have died earlier in the year. Sabrina and fellow nursing student Felix DuBois track down Lucy and convince her to help with the event. These three, along with Nurse Elizabeth Webber, Robin's husband Dr. Patrick Drake, and with funding initially provided by Tracy Quartermaine and later by an "anonymous donor" that Lucy Coe found, the Ball is being planned for April 2013. Dr. Britt Westbourne and Dr. Steve Webber were also helping with the event, but former is only on the committee to cause problems and the latter was extradited by the Memphis Police to be sentenced for murder.

1994
Damian Smith suggests the Ball and underwrites it. Lucy Coe co-chairs it with Bobbie Jones It is aired June 23 and 24, 1994. During the chorus line, a fight between Damian and Tony Jones causes the curtain to be pulled down, revealing Lucy backstage in her underwear. They raise close to $500 thousand for the AIDS Pediatric Unit and AIDS Outreach Programs.

Acts

 * Drs. Kevin Collins, Monica Quartermaine and Simone Hardy perform Triplets from Bandwagon
 * Nurse Bobbie Jones and Damian Smith dance the tango (Tony Jones is supposed to dance with Bobbie, but leaves her standing alone on stage)
 * Nurses Amy Vining and Audrey Hardy and Dr. Simone Hardy are included in the chorus line that performs One from A Chorus Line
 * Dr. Steve Hardy performs Casey at the Bat
 * Felicia Jones and her daughter Maxie Jones dance to April Showers, with Felicia dressed as a clown
 * Stone Cates and his girlfriend Robin Scorpio act out the death scene from Romeo and Juliet
 * Mac Scorpio does a standup comedy routine
 * Brothers A.J. Quartermaine and Jason Quartermaine do a comedy skit

1995
The Ball is once again underwritten by Damian Smith. It is co-chaired by Lucy Coe and Katherine Bell. It is aired June 21 and 22, 1995. During the chorus line at the end, Katherine throws Lucy out onto the stage in her underwear.



Acts

 * Eddie Maine and the Idle Rich perform Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz
 * Drs. Tony Jones, Kevin Collins and Alan Quartermaine, with Emily Bowen-Quartermaine perform If I Only Had a Brain from The Wizard of Oz
 * Dr. Alan Quartermaine performs King of the Forest from The Wizard of Oz
 * Drs. Tony Jones, Kevin Collins and Alan Quartermaine, with Emily Bowen-Quartermaine perform We're Off To See the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz
 * Mary Mae Ward and her Pips (Justus Ward, Luke Spencer and Lucky Spencer) perform Midnight Train to Georgia
 * Luke Spencer and Lucky Spencer do a hip hop dance
 * Miguel Morez sings The Power to Believe
 * Dr. Steve Hardy and his grandson Tommy Hardy perform You've Gotta have Heart from Damn Yankees
 * Lucy Coe and Damian Smith perform Anything You Can Do from Annie Get Your Gun
 * Lucy Coe strips to Big Spender, auctioning off her clothing for charity
 * Nurses Bobbie Spencer, Audrey Hardy and Amy Vining, and Dr. Simone Hardy are included in the chorus line that performs One from A Chorus Line

1996
The Ball in underwritten by Katherine Bell. Katherine and Lucy Coe were co-chairs again. It is aired June 21, 1996. Sonny and Lily Corinthos donate $30 million dollars to establish the Stone Cates Memorial AIDS Wing. Mac Scorpio presents his niece Robin Scorpio with a quilt made in memory of her boyfriend Stone Cates, who died of AIDS. Robin announces she's HIV positive, breaks down, and Jason Morgan carries her off stage. Katherine rigs it so that Lucy ends up swinging by her ankles, causing her dress to go over her head and revealing her underwear, over the stage at the end of the Ball during the chorus line.

Acts

 * Dr. Alan Quartermaine sings Beautiful Girls
 * Carly Roberts, Dr. Tony Jones and his son Lucas Jones perform Together from Gypsy
 * Ned Ashton sings We're Having A Baby
 * Katherine Bell (lip syncing to Dara Jensen) and Lucy Coe perform Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
 * Janis Ian performs When Angels Cry
 * Carly Roberts, Nurse Audrey Hardy, Dr. Simone Hardy and Keesha Ward are included in the chorus line that performs One from A Chorus Line

1997
The Ball is underwritten by Jasper Jacks. It is again co-chaired by Katherine Bell and Lucy Coe. It is aired June 20 and 23, 1997. Katherine rigs Lucy's dress so that it will fall off her when she goes on stage during the chorus line at the end.



Acts

 * Dr. Alan Quartermaine sings It's a Grand Night for Singing and Ten Minutes Ago from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
 * Dr. Tony Jones and Carly Roberts perform There Ain't Nothing Wrong with Me
 * Nurse Bobbie Cassadine and Luke Spencer perform Last Dance
 * Edward Quartermaine and Emily Bowen-Quartermaine perform Together at Last from Annie
 * Dara Jensen and Ned Ashton perform You've got a Friend
 * Carly Roberts (now Corinthos-Jacks) and Keesha Ward are included in the chorus line that performs One from A Chorus Line

1998
The Ball is underwritten by Stefan Cassadine, and Lucy Coe chairs it. It is aired June 19 and 22, 1998. Eve Lambert locks Lucy in the rolling wardrobe closet during the chorus line at the end of the night. Lucy wheels herself out onto stage and bursts through the closet door in her underwear.

Acts

 * Lucky Spencer, Dara Jensen, Elizabeth Webber and Marcus Taggert perform Jailhouse Rock
 * Dr. Alan Quartermaine, Robin Scorpio and Ned Ashton perform Someone to Watch Over Me
 * Lucy Coe, Brenda Barrett, Dara Jensen and Dr. Karen Wexler performer Big Spender from Sweet Charity
 * Drs. Eve Lambert and Julie Devlin perform You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story
 * Ned Ashton and Emily Bowen-Quartermaine perform The Power to Believe
 * Scott Baldwin, Mac Scorpio, Edward Quartermaine, Serena Baldwin, Dr. Karen Wexler, Emily Bowen-Quartermaine, Robin Scorpio and Maxie Jones perform Thank Heaven for Little Girls from Gigi and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
 * Drs. Julie Devlin, Eve Lambert and Karen Wexler are included in the chorus line that performs One from A Chorus Line

1999
The Ball is underwritten by Amanda Barrington. Lucy Coe and Katherine Bell are again the co-chairs. It is aired on June 18 and 21, 1999. Katherine and Eve Lambert see to it that Lucy is pulled out on stage by the chorus line at the end while she's in her underwear and changing backstage.

Acts

 * Ned Ashton, A.J. Quartermaine, Dr. Alan Quartermaine and Edward Quartermaine sing I Feel Good
 * Chloe Morgan and Jasper Jacks dance to Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat
 * Drs. Chris Ramsey, Eve Lambert, Karen Wexler, Joe Scanlon, Ellen Burgess and Matt Harmon perform Doctor, Doctor
 * Mary Scanlon, Serena Baldwin, Neil Kanelos, Victor Collins perform High Hopes
 * Lucy Coe and Katherine Bell perform I'm a Woman
 * Dr. Tony Jones, Mike Corbin, Mac Scorpio, Nurse Bobbie Spencer, Felicia Jones and Drs. Eve Lambert and Chris Ramsey perform Jump, Jive and Wail
 * Emily Bowen-Quartermaine and Ned Ashton sing Forever Young
 * There is a chorus line at the end that performs a can-can

2000
This Nurses' Ball is underwritten by Stefan Cassadine and chaired by Lucy Coe. It is aired June 20-22, 2000. Nikolas Cassadine gives a speech on Stefan's behalf. Dr. Chris Ramsey donates $250,000 to the General Hospital AIDS Research fund. There is no chorus line, and Lucy does not end up in her underwear.

Acts

 * A music video of Dr. Kevin Collins and Victor Collins singing Chick Magnet is played, with Dr. Eve Lambert and Mary Scanlon
 * Juan Santiago, Emily Bowen-Quartermaine and Elizabeth Webber sing and dance to Footloose from Footloose
 * Eddie Mane sings Simply Irresistible
 * Lucy Coe and Drs. Alan Quartermaine and Tony Jones perform to Hey Good Lookin'
 * Juan Santiago and Emily Bowen-Quartermaine, with help from Robin Scorpio and Lucy Coe, perform Lean On Me.  The audience also sings with them.

2001
This year the Nurses Ball was funded by Amanda Barrington. Stefan Cassadine announced that the Cassadines would double all contributions made that evening. Lucy Coe announced that the show had to go on despite a Manhattan train colliding with a bus. Also, Helena Cassadine and Stavros were arguing about when to unleash their next act of terrorism.



Acts

 * Edward Quartermaine, Mac Scorpio, Marcus Taggert, Roy DiLucca, and A.J. Quartermaine performIt's In His Kiss
 * Gabrielle does a striptease to Let Me Entertain You
 * Alison Barrington, Livvie Locke, and Jamal Woods perform Love Potion No. 9
 * Nikolas Cassadine, Gia Campbell, and Lucky Spencer perform Up On the Roof
 * Felicia Jones and Luke Spencer perform Old Time Rock n' Roll
 * Dr. Alan Quartermaine sings Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd, while at the bedside of his temporarily paralyzed daughter, Emily

2013
The 2013 Nurses' Ball will be aired from April 5-9, 2013 in honor of the 50th Anniversary of General Hospital. Sabrina Santiago took the initiative to revive the Nurses' Ball, which has been absent for twelve years. Sabrina is able to get enough support, and the committee consists of Dr. Steve Webber (until he is arrested for murder and extradited to Memphis), Nurse Elizabeth Webber, Dr. Patrick Drake, Dr. Britt Westbourne (albeit stating negatively that there several obstacles and setting roadblocks) and Sabrina. Nurse Felix DuBois also joins in to help with planning the Ball. After some help from Lucy Coe, Tracy Quartermaine underwrites the Nurses' Ball. When ELQ faces some financial troubles, however, the Nurses' Ball is sidelined due to Tracy not being able to fund the ball after all. Lucy then presents a check to the committee from an "anonymous donor," and they start planning the acts. Carly Jacks allows the Nurses' Ball to be held at the Metro Court hotel free of charge. Lucy calls in to choreograph the opening number, but after a spat over the music, Richard quits and a handy-man named Anton played by  steps in to choreograph it with music and lyrics from TJ Ashford and Molly Lansing-Davis.

Numerous popular characters from the past return for the 50th Aniversary, including Dr. Noah Drake, Nurse Bobbie Spencer, Brenda Barett, and Nurse Audrey Hardy who all return shortly before the Nurses' Ball. Other characters from the past arrive during the weeks leading up to the Ball, but who are not included in the event, are Jasper "Jax" Jacks, Nikolas Cassadine, Ethan Lovett, Laura Spencer, Dr. Lisa Obrecht and Helena Cassadine. Dr. Alan Quartermaine, Dr. Emily Bowen-Quartermaine and Dr. Rick Webber also appeared as ghosts in the Quartermaine Mansion on April 1st.

Acts

 * Nurses Epiphany Johnson, Elizabeth Webber, Sabrina Santiago, and Felix DuBois are included in the opening number, a performance to a song by Molly Lansing-Davis and T.J. Ashford, using choreography provided by Anton Ivanov
 * Damian Spinelli and Ellie Trout perform She Blinded Me With Science
 * Sam Morgan and Anton Ivanov dance to to Jumptown Saturday Night. (Sam steps in, after Anton's original partner is injured.)
 * Mac Scorpio uses his ventriloquism act to roast Frisco Jones
 * Frisco Jones performs All I Need as a serenade to Felicia Jones

Announced acts
It has been announced that Lucy Coe will have 13 gown changes throughout the event.
 * A.J. Quartermaine and Elizabeth Webber will do a number (according to 3-19-13 episode)
 * Noah Drake (a.k.a. Patrick's dad played by Rick Springfield) will rock out to "Jessie's Girl"
 * Michael Corinthos was convinced by Lucy Coe to perform at the event. (3-27-13)
 * It appears that Damian Spinelli and Max Giambetti are also part of a dance number that includes Michael Corinthos
 * Duke Lavery and Anna Devane will do a dance number
 * Tracy Quartermaine, Epiphany Johnson, and Monica Quartermaine are also seen doing a dance number
 * Kate Grahn (daughter of Nancy Lee Grahn aka Alexis Davis) will be singing with her real-life band Traction and Molly Lansing-Davis. This will on April 9th (according to Kate Grahn - Sings and TVline)

Other events/Notes

 * At the event, Carly Jacks kicks Brenda Barett out of the ballroom due to her starting a food fight.
 * Sabrina Santiago has a makeover and Patrick Drake asks her out to the Nurses' Ball.  Milo Giambetti, who had intended to take Sabrina, is left without a date.
 * Luke Spencer and Laura Spencer will not be involved or present at the Nurses' Ball due to their daughter Lulu Falconeri being kidnapped. It is also assumed that Dante Falconeri will also be absent.
 * Rick Springfield returns as Dr. Noah Drake to give advice to his son Patrick Drake and meets Sabrina Santiago. Then he performs on the Nurses' Ball's stage as Rick Springfield. (4-5-13 and 4-8-13)