Around the town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broadway’s best new musical is An American in Paris with music and lyrics by the legendary George and Ira Gershwin. This sure to be Tony nominated production stars The Great White Way’s newest star Robert Fairchild who is moonlighting from his duties as a principle dancer with the New York City Ballet. Fairchild makes his Broadway debut by deftly stepping into the shoes of the role famously played by Gene Kelly in the movie of the same name, co-staring Leslie Caron. The Royal Ballet’s Leanne Cope now prettily and expertly essays that role. Stealing key scenes in the show is sizzling Jill Paice, who plays the sophisticated heiress looking for love to alluring and memorable effect. Although the play has a quirky dark beginning reflecting the Nazi’s occupation of France, it builds quickly into a glorious, dancing and singing extravaganza you don’t want to miss. anamericaninparisbroadway.com …… A star-studded tribute for composer Steven Sondheim was held at 42West in the OUT Hotel to celebrate his 85th birthday and the in-home release of Disney’s delicious movie musical of Into the Woods starring Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt. The event featured performances by Rufus Wainwright, Billy Magnussen, Lilla Crawford, Molly Pope and Michael McElroy. Streep said, “We are who we’re going to be when we’re very old, and when we’re very old we are who we were when we were eight,” adding, “Instant gratification is not soon enough.” 42westny.com …. Curvy Kate Winslet stars in the new sci-fi epic Insurgent, “My skin still crawls if you call me a movie star. I get embarrassed. To me, Julia Roberts, that’s a movie star. “ Co-star Shailene Woodley says, “Freshman year, upperclassmen would call me ‘anorexic’, so I’d go home and cry, wishing hard for the curves to appear… Jon Bon Jovi stopped his concert at The Wynn in Las Vegas after singing ‘Livin on a Prayer’ to take a selfie with sexy New Yorker and Elegant Affairs CEO Andrea Correale, who caters events for everyone from Mariah Carey TO Kevin Spacey. elegantaffairscaterers.com …. Clint Eastwood’s son Scott Eastwood confides, “I am not the greatest actor in the world, but the reason I keep working is that I work hard and show up every day and I’m easy to work with.” Smart!

 

Cinderella & Aladdin
Disney’s fun family-friendly remake of Cinderella stars the cagey Cate Blanchett, who makes you hate her despite looking drop dead chic throughout the film. She says of her hair color, “It is one of the great mysteries of the world. I think I’m vaguely blonde. To be perfectly frank, I don’t know,” adding, “Of course one worries about getting older. I’m simply not panicking, as my laugh lines grow deeper. Who wants a face with no history, no sense of humor?” … Lily James, who plays a sweet and believable Cinderella, confessed, “I love clothes but it’s a struggle for me to get out of jeans and a baggy jumper.” Adding, “The first Disney movie I saw was ‘Snow White.’ I loved all the Disney princess movies.”… Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother with a saucy sense of humor, lights up the screen and said, “I hate this image of me as a prim Edwardian. I want to shock everyone.” An attractive Richard Madden plays Prince Charming, who sighs like a lovelorn teenager and limps through the movie with the charisma of a high school prom king. … If you’re looking for a Broadway musical to take the whole family to, I highly recommend Disney’s Aladdin starring the electric James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie you want to take home in a bottle and rub when needed. Iglehart won a well-deserved Tony for this role and leads a slick cast through its nonstop, high-kicking, give it all you’ve got paces. This musical delivers your dream of a flashy, exciting Broadway show to treasure forever …… Want to keep the Moroccan flavor going? Hoteliers Hank Freid and Brand Freid have created a colorful casbah, replete with tents and oriental rugs on the roof of the Sanctuary Hotel on West 47th Street. You can enjoy seeping views of the city while smoking Shishapresso Hookas brought to your table by pretty hostesses. The hotel is a favorite of celebrities including Carmen Electra, Maria Sharapova and Karina Smirnoff. ….. havenrooftop.com … Drake goes down to Pergola on West 28th Street to smoke his Hookah. The hotspot is also a favorite of Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj, who also enjoy the excellent Mediterranean menu. pergolanewyork.com Home stars give dating advice. Rihanna: “I love the high-risk guys. I don’t like cream puff, corny guys. Usually they are the nice guys, the ones that won’t hurt you. Everything is perfect and boring. I like the risk, I like the edge. That’s the thrill for me.” A still single Jennifer Lopez says, “If you kiss on the first date and it’s not right, then there will be no second date.”

 

It’s Only a Play
Matthew Broderick, Martin Short and Stockard Channing star in the witty It’s Only a Play. Short says of his co-star, “Matthew is more than a friend — he was at the conception of all my children,” adding, “He looks like a bouncer at a lesbian bar.” itsonlyaplay.com … Back stage at Bravo after taping Andy Cohen’s Club House, Broderick stopped to pick out three pairs of “Strap-its” for his wife Sara Jessica Parker. He picked out three pairs of the detachable bra straps by designer Julie Karlitz in steel and gold nail heads and a rose gold leopard print for the Sex and the City fashion icon. strap-its.com … Two other grown-up plays you shouldn’t miss are A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder staring Jefferson Mays, who won a Tony for this devilishly amusing role, and Helen Mirren in The Audience where she once again plays Queen Elizabeth to royal perfection. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a Tony nomination in her future for this part. theaudienceplay.com …. The Furious 7 stars sound like life coaches. Vin Diesel, “My thought process: Shut your mouth, watch your back and keep working ‘til your ass falls off.” Dwayne Johnson, “I want someone who can trust that my big hands are going to take care of them.” Jordana Brewster, “I went to an all-girls school so I’m not very socially apt when it comes to dating.” …. Frank Sinatra’s daughter Nancy Sinatra helped pop art icon Peter Max unveil 27 portraits of the Chairman of the Board at his studio. The show kicked off a year of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ 100th centennial celebration. Among those admiring the art was Tony Danza, who’s garnering rave reviews for his new Broadway show Honeymoon in Vegas. If you loved him on Who’s the Boss?, you’ll have fun watching him tap dance and sing through this lighthearted show, although he gets shamelessly upstaged by a hilarious group of flying Elvises that chew up the scenery during the raucous finale. honeymoonbroadway.com Also in the mix at Max’s studio were Ali and Michael Lohan, Larry Wohl and actress Leesa Rowland, who’s highly anticipated book, Discovering the IT Factor Within You, hits stores this spring, society bandleader Alex Donner, Novitas CEO Nicole Noonan, attorney Arthur Aidala, Altaneve Prosecco’s David Noto, NEXT supermodel Bo ‘T Jong and dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Mark. … Will Smith says, “When I turned 28, everything clicked. I even got way better in bed.” What needs to get better is choice of film roles. His new adventure flick Focus didn’t click with many. At least his sexy co-star Margot Robbie has a sense of humor saying, “People laugh, but if I set my mind to it, within the next 15 years I would be president.” Want to bet?