“Children Will Listen”
Ladies and gents,
The McKittrick Hotel is where you go to chase Macbeth around a labyrinthian series of chambers (Sleep No More), or where you go for a dining experience with a side of intrigue (The Heath), or where you go for rooftop cocktails set to jazz music (Gallow Green). But Chamber Music? For Chamber Music, you go to Alice Tully Hall. Or so I thought. The divine Danish String Quartet proved me wrong Tuesday night, when they dropped into the McKittrick’s Manderley Bar for a surprise set that combined straight-ahead classical with Scandinavian folk music. They are in town for their back-to-back concerts being presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center next week, but made a little time to introduce the downtown denizens of the McKittrick to their worldrenowned skills. With CMS’s Co-Artistic Director, Wu Han, in tow, they slipped into the Manderley unnoticed, but took the stage like rock stars. It’s hard to silence that crowd, especially after a few bowls of rum punch, but you could have heard a pin drop. If their music doesn’t fit into the Manderley’s usual retro jazz and rock programming, their look couldn’t have been more at home. These four adorable hipsters (three Danes and a Norwegian) look like they just stepped off the L Train. It’s hard to believe such youthful punims can make such gorgeous music! If you missed them at the McKittrick, you can catch them at Lincoln Center on Sunday and Monday.
Tidbits from around town…
Spotted Countess LuAnn de Lesseps near tears in Riverside Park. Apparently she took her Westie, Aston, out for
a morning frolic in the snow. Well, the adorable pooch was playing off leash when he suddenly darted off and she
quickly lost sight of him. The curse of the Westie: their pure white fur blends right into the snow. She frantically
grabbed a passing police car and they searched for thirty minutes with no luck. The story has a happy ending: a
good Samaritan found Aston seven blocks away and he was returned safely to his loving mother.
Overheard John Lithgow marveling over Jefferson Mays’ quick changes in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and
Murder.
Caught George Stephanopoulos stealing a few of wife Ali Wentworth’s sweet potato fries at Counter when she
got up to take a cell phone call.
As always, a toast of something sparkling to you and yours!
Kisses,
