Every day is opening night.

Ladies and gents,

One of the hottest tickets in town isn’t uptown—it’s nestled on a quiet stretch of Christopher Street, where the incomparable high priest of hotness, Andrew Scott, is about to grace the Lucille Lortel Theatre in the Olivier Award-winning, Vanya, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Sam Yates. After leaving London audiences breathless with his one-man reinvention of Chekhov’s classic, Scott now brings his tour de force stateside, to one of my favorite Off Broadway stages.

Of course, stepping into the Lortel means stepping into history. This jewel-box of a theater has been home to countless edgy new works, reinvented classics, and epic star turns. Before MCC Theater made the move to midtown, it was at the Lortel that they mounted some of their most unforgettable productions—Frozen (the harrowing Bryony Lavery play, not to be confused with the Disney extravaganza), The Other Place, The Village Bike, Fat Pig, Reasons to Be Pretty, Really Really, Hand to God, and School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play all sent audiences staggering out onto Christopher Street, drunk on drama, tipsy on thematic resonance.  I am still reeling over a personal favorite, the revival of Carrie the musical.

But even before MCC made it their home, the Lortel was a launchpad for the daring and the divine. It was first converted from a movie house to an Off-Broadway Theatre in the early 1950s. Its first major hit was The Threepenny Opera, featuring Lotte Lenya, Bea Arthur, John Astin, and my old poker buddy, Charlotte Rae. The theatre changed hands in 1955, when Louis Schweitzer purchased the building as an anniversary gift for his wife, none other than Lucille Lortel herself. (I believe an Off-Broadway playhouse is the traditional seventh anniversary gift. Or is that wool?)

Now, the Lortel is not just enjoying Off Broadway’s recent renaissance, it’s the epicenter of this thrilling cultural trend. In 2024, Cole Escola’s smash play; Oh, Mary! first bowed there and Adam Driver captivated in Kenny Lonergan’s Hold On to Me Darling. The 2023 production of John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott, arguably served as the catalyst for Off-Broadway’s sudden re-awakening.

As for me, I’ll be there with two on the aisle for Mr. Scott’s opening night. Uncle Vanya may have wasted his life, but I’m not squandering this chance to witness greatness.

Caught Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent enjoying lunch at Carissa’s in East Hampton, just a few tables away from Ina Garten.

Spotted Len Cariou enjoying pasta at Orso.

Overheard Robin Quivers discussing Nvidia’s latest earnings report on a hush hush (but not quite hush hush enough for these ears) cell phone call in the SiriusXM lobby.

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

Kisses,