Every day is opening night.

San Francisco has always been a town with the heart of a troubadour and the soul of a showgirl. And now, the curtain rises on a plot twist nobody quite saw coming: the San Francisco Giants — yes, those Giants — have purchased the city’s most storied proscenium, the Curran Theatre.

The Curran, of course, is not merely a building; it’s a temple of theatrical memory, a cathedral of stagecraft where legends have played and stars have been born. It’s where All About Eve found its shadowy alley, and where Carol Channing glided down that iconic Hello, Dolly! staircase with enough wattage to light up Union Square. Channing once wished to be buried between the Curran and the neighboring Geary—a romantic notion that met its match in municipal zoning laws. Still, one imagines her spirit pirouettes between those marquees.

Carole Shorenstein Hays (long known to those in the know as “Little Carole,” to Channing’s “Big Carol”), doyenne of West Coast society, lovingly stewarded this grande dame since 2010, turning it from a beloved relic into a cauldron of contemporary culture. Now she passes the torch to the Giants, who promise not just to swing bats but raise curtains.

This transfer isn’t just symbolic—it’s a seismic shift. The city’s favorite baseball sons have now added footlights to their fiefdom. Larry Baer & Co. insist the Curran will remain a home for bold live performance. (Andrew Lloyd Webber himself is said to be positively purring over the news – Phantom once ran here longer than anywhere but London and Broadway. Rumor has it, he’s eyeing the marquee for a future project.)

And let us not forget the ghosts who still whisper backstage. Carole brought the greats, including Fences, which began at the Curran and went on to take Broadway by storm. When Denzel Washington premiered the film adaptation on that very stage—the same stage he once dreamt of performing on while waiting tables across the street—the glamour was operatic. I was there, swanning through the aisles among a who’s-who of theatrical glitterati: Phylicia Rashad in celestial navy, Terrence McNally dressed to the nines, and a radiant Rita Moreno greeting Hall-of-Famer Steve Young with a 48 second embrace (I counted).

When Carole reopened the Curran with Fun Home after an audacious renovation (and a cutting edge series dubbed “Curran Under Construction”), the air crackled with rebirth. Sam Gold’s exquisite staging fit the proscenium like a Balenciaga glove, and Governor Gavin Newsom, marching band in tow, led the civic fanfare. Alison Bechdel beamed. Kristin Caskey, Barbara Whitman, Mike Isaacson, Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron (Tony winners all) were positively effervescent. It was one of those nights.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, bless her pearls, visited the Curran (which sits smack dab in the middle of her district) in the early days of its renaissance to discuss its role in civic life. She knows, as we all do, that great cities require great theaters—and great theaters need champions. Kudos to the entire Shorenstein-Hays clan – Carole, Jeff, Wally, Gracie – for their commitment to the Curran. And to the late, magnificent Walter Shorenstein, who played a pivotal role in keeping the Giants right where they belong: in San Francisco.

Now, as longtime readers already know, I’m a diehard Dodgers fan, but don’t let my club’s classic rivalry with the Giants mislead you. This is one arena in which I’m rooting fiercely for a San Francisco victory.

Tidbits from around town…

Caught Kathleen Marshall struggling with the spice level of a crab dish at Fish Cheeks.

Spotted Julia Garner and a bleached-blonde Adam Levine greeting each other warmly at Cafe Luxxe in Montecito.

Overheard Joel Grey chatting up the maître d’ at Lulu’s at LA’s Hammer Art Museum.

Witnessed Tim Cook, or a dead ringer, waiting patiently in the taxi line at JFK’s Terminal 5.

A toast of something sparkling to you and yours!

Kisses,