“Good Old- New York”
Ladies and gents,
My head is spinning. Again. Why? I spent last night at the opening night of Bullets Over Broadway, and it just might have been the most quintessentially New York night I’ve ever had. Well, when Woody Allen is in the building, you know you’re in New York (or maybe Venice, or maybe Paris, or maybe Barcelona, or maybe Rome, or maybe London … but mostly New York). The crowd was, as you can imagine, chock-full-of luminaries. Douglas McGrath, who co-wrote the Bullets Over Broadway screenplay with Allen, looked tickled pink to be seated center orchestra at a stage adaptation of his film (just a few blocks away from where his own show, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, is playing). I ran into Dianne Wiest at intermission, who seemed genuinely touched to witness the great Marin Mazzie take on the role of Helen Sinclair, for which Mr. Wiest won an Oscar. “What a great tribute to you!” I heard a nattily dressed patron offer. “Not to me,” Wiest replied earnestly, hand-to-heart. “To Woody!”
The no-expense-spared bash was held at the Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur. The first vision I saw upon entering was Soon Yi asking Jujamcyn Theaters President Jordan Roth to snap a photo of her with Woody and one of their daughters in front of a gorgeous candle-lit staircase. Jordan is one of Broadway’s most prolific Instagrammers, so clearly she asked the right person. Then I entered the temple – the whole thing felt as if, well, a Woody Allen movie. Notable New Yorkers dressed in their best interpretation of “festive attire” nibbling on high end canapés, sipping champagne, and trading in witty banter. Casting director Tara Rubin mused, “I’m from a tiny town, so when I walk into a party like this all I can think is, ‘They got it all mixed up and invited me by mistake!’” Even the photographers – a notoriously cranky lot – were happy. The cast arrived in record time, and worked the press line like pros. I ran into my old friends Ina and Jeffrey Garten, who were exclaiming that it was “the chicest night in memory.” And Ina knows from chic. She practically invented it.
Tidbits from around town…
Caught Steven Pasquale hitting the weights in Equinox in Tribeca. He logs, after all, plenty of shirtless time in The Bridges of Madison County.
Overheard Julia Murney talking excitedly to a friend about next week’s “The Wild Party Swings” concert at 54 Below.
Spotted Hank Azaria marveling at Jefferson Mays multi-character role in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.
As always, a toast of something sparkling to you and yours!
Kisses,
