Theater Archives

Atlantic City, NJ, August 17, 1009 – Dancing with the Stars duo Karina Smirnoff and Maks Chmerovskiy are spending their summer dancing up a storm for a live audience in Broadway’s Burn the Floor.  On Mondays the Great White Way is dark, so the couple headed to Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for some R&R.  The engaged lovebirds nibbled sushi at the hotel’s Izakaya, and then, of course, headed to club mur.mur for some (what else?) dancing!  As you can imagine, intimidated fellow clubgoers stood aside and watched in amazement as Maks and Karina tore up the dance floor.

Alas, Broadway is a demanding mistress with eight shows per week, so the two headed back to NYC in the wee hours as they had to perform the next day.

New York, July 15, 2009 – Paul McCartney previewed his New York City concerts slated for this weekend with a free performance atop the marquee outside the David Letterman studios in midtown Manhattan.  Thousands of fans crowded the streets, and Sir Paul didn’t let them down, performing a 22-minute show that included Beatles classics like Get Back and Back in the U.S.S.R. 

McCartney was in high spirits, waving and shouting to passengers riding on a passing tour bus.  He quipped, “Hey, it’s Bruno!” when a taxicab passed bearing an for the Sacha Baron Cohen movie. 

Earlier in the afternoon, during a sound check before the show, he played Eleanor Rigby.  Curtains enclosed the marquee during that pre-show rehearsal, and we caught site of McCartney peeking out to check out the crowd. 

McCartney’s Letterman appearance was historic, falling 45 years after the Beatles first appeared on the same stage on the Ed Sullivan show, turning the band into a household name. 

New York, June 7, 2009 – The 2009 Tony Awards got off to a rollicking start with virtually everyone on Broadway joining in a chorus of Let The Sunshine In, followed shortly thereafter by Rock of Ages’ Bret Michaels getting smacked on the head by a descending stage set.  While Hugh Jackman may be the gold standard of Tony hosts, Neil Patrick Harris did an admirable job, although we kept wondering why his tuxedo was so shiny.  NPH walked the red carpet proudly with his partner David Burtka, as he does every year at the Tony Awards.

The three Billy Elliots David Alvarez, Kiril Kunish and Trent Kowalik won hearts with their tongue-tied acceptance speech, but they were blasé around Sir Elton John, who composed the score – because they’ve met him before.  Their Best Actor in a Musical win was historic, marking the first time that a Tony award has been shared by three people. 

Liza was happy, happy, happy in the press room, mugging with her Tony statuette.

Hollywood types like Dolly Parton and Will Ferrell thrilled the Broadway folks, but despite her lack of Broadway credits, everyone was swooning over Anne Hathaway all evening.  )Perhaps because Nicole Kidman, who was slated to appear, had to cancel.)

Tony Awards viewership was reportedly up this year, and that doesn't count the 1,000 people gathered in Times Square to watch the live simulcast.

New York, March 22, 2009 – Casting big stars - James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis - in the new Broadway play God of Carnage had at least one side effect: all their friends came to opening night!  Hugh Jackman, Martha Stewart, Alan Alda, David Hyde Pierce, John Lithgow, Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole were just some of the boldfacers at the opening.  Geoffrey Rush, Jeremy Irons and Colin Hanks, all currently appearing in their own Broadway plays, took the time to check out the competition.   Hanks took advantage of his night off from 33 Variations: “This is my only night – it’s a one-night affair for me,” he told us. 

After standing ovations, everybody traipsed over to eSpace for a party.  We ran into
America Ferrera and her Traveling Pants co-star Amber Tamblyn, who both loved the play.  “It’s such a thrill to watch such inspiring performances and watch really great theater,” Ferrera told us. 

The four stars arrived quickly with a minimum of fuss.  Hope Davis said it felt great to be back in the theater.  “With this cast and this play, it couldn’t be any more exciting,” she said.  Harden echoed the sentiment, saying that being on the Broadway stage with this group of people is “fantastic.” For Jeff Daniels, returning to the stage “feels like coming home.”

Photos: Luisa Johns/PKI