A gaggle of stage, film, and TV stars — including several Academy Award winners — made the scene last night for the Public Theater’s summer gala honoring Oscar winners and theater greats Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The event was followed by the official opening performance of Macbeth, starring Tony Award winners Liev Schreiber and Jennifer Ehle. Streep — who is now on screen in two films, A Prairie Home Companion and The Devil Wears Prada — played Schreiber’s mother in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate. She will come to the Delacorte in August in Mother Courage and Her Children.
Kline, who came with his lovely wife, Phoebe Cates, recently had the title role in a workshop of King Lear at the Public, and will appear there in a full production of the play this fall.
Also on hand: mega-star Tom Hanks, whose wife, Rita Wilson, is currently playing Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway…
…Jessica Lange, who last starred on Broadway as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and recently performed in the star-studded Master Class benefit…
…Philip Seymour Hoffman, who remains staunchly committed to the theater even in the wake of his Oscar-winning triumph in the film Capote…
…the ever-beautiful Candice Bergen, a multi-Emmy Award winner for Murphy Brown and an Oscar nominee for Starting Over…
…Alan Alda, who starred with Schreiber in the revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, with his wife of 49 years, Arlene…
…Ethan Hawke, who will be seen later this season in Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center…
…Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, who starred in the 2001 Off-Broadway production of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things…
…the one and only Steve Martin, whose play Picasso at the Lapin Agile is slated to become a movie…
…and Schreiber with his girlfriend, film star Naomi Watts, who’s just back from best pal Nicole Kidman’s wedding Down Under.
Another major celebration on Wednesday was the launch of Antonio Banderas’ new fragrance, Antonio, with a Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit party at The Plumm on West 14th Street. The man of the hour was joined by his equally celebrated wife, Melanie Griffith.
The fabulous Chita Rivera, who co-starred with him in the 2003 Broadway revival of Nine, lent a helping hand to the proceedings…
…as did two more of that show’s lovely ladies: Sara Gettelfinger, who has returned to the role of Jolene Oakes in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Deidre Goodwin, a.k.a. Sheila in the upcoming Broadway revival of A Chorus Line.
We leave you with this photo of the participants in Sunday night’s roast and toast of TheaterMania’s own Jim Caruso at the Metropolitan Room on West 22nd Street. Surrounding Caruso are (left to right) Amanda Green, Hilary Kole, Miles Phillips, Stephanie J. Block, Sally Mayes (on Caruso’s lap), Klea Blackhurst, Billy Stritch, Marnie Baumer, Carolyn Montgomery (who produced, directed, and hosted the event), and Todd Londagin.
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(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)
(Photo © Michael Portantiere)
(Photo © Michael Portantiere)
(Photo © Michael Portantiere)
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo/Retna)