Every day is opening night.

Ladies and gents,

I always consider myself lucky to be invited to any Broadway opening, but I felt particularly fortunate last week at The Roommate. Playing The Booth, Broadway’s third most intimate house, means the guest list had to be whittled down to the most deserving 750-or-so souls. So, I was in fine company, surrounded by the likes of Jane Krakowski, Joy Behar, Kathryn Hahn, Bridget Everett, Meena Harris, Blythe Danner, Nicole Scherzinger, Cynthia Erivo, Wendell Pierce, and Ethan Hawke. I even spotted a Hairspray reunion, with Kerry Butler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Marissa Jaret Winokur all chatting up Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Producers Chris Harper, Nelle Nugent, and Kenneth Teaton held court, looking as calm as exceedingly well-dressed cucumbers, while Executive Producers Sue Wagner and John Johnson greeted well-wishers in the back of the house.

The real star power, of course, was on the other side of the footlights. I haven’t been this excited to see a couple of dames face off in a two-hander since Anne Pitoniak and a young Kathy Bates starred opposite each other in Marsha Norman’s Night, Mother. (That Bates was robbed of Tony glory for that turn still haunts my dreams.) From the moment Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow took the stage, the energy in the room was electric. The chemistry between the two of them was electric as they – under Jack O’Brien’s gentle hand – expertly navigated the intricacies of Jen Silverman’s sneakily clever play about the joys and pitfalls of both friendship and reinvention.

After an extended curtain call, during which Mia and Patti’s sons, Ronan Farrow and Josh Johnston, respectively, made a surprise appearance to present their moms with floral tributes, I was informed there would be no after-party. When I acted a bit astonished that we wouldn’t be ending the night with an open bar, my oldest friend, Cindy Adams, set me straight, as she so often does, saying “No after party is the new no intermission. It’s the production giving you the most precious gift of all: the gift of time!” Naturally, I used that extra time to get a nightcap of my own, toasting the birth of a genuine theatrical triumph.

Less than a week later, the off-stage drama rivaled the play itself when Mia tested positive for the latest strain of COVID-19 and had to step out of the show. Who got the call to step into the role at the very last minute? None other than four-time Academy Award nominee, Marsha Mason. Marsha is not only a tremendous stage animal, she’s also a Connecticut neighbor of both Mia and Patti. I don’t know what they’re putting in the water over there, but she stepped up to the challenge, script-in-hand, and knocked ‘em dead for 3 straight performances before Mia made her triumphant return. And to think: my neighbor won’t even trim my bushes for me!

Tidbits from around town…

Spotted a sharply-dressed Don Cheadle purchasing a colorful little cuckoo clock at the MoMA Store.

Overheard Susan Sarandon complaining about the texture of her soup at Le Baratin. “Is this supposed to be grainy?” she asked. “I’ve ordered this many times and it’s never been grainy!”

Caught Michael Arden stopping to ask a dog owner about the breed of her giant mutt.

As always, a toast of something sparkling to you and yours!

Kisses,