Eric Idle gives the thumbs up to 'Minsky's' scribe Bob Martin and director Casey Nicholaw.
Amy Poehler arrives for Friday's opening night.
Robert Greenblatt and Kevin McCollum
HOLLYWOOD -- Gotham came to the Ahmanson Friday night to check out what New Yorkers must think is Broadway's next big tuner. The world preem of "Minsky's" brought out producers
Kevin McCollum and
Bob Boyett, as well as the New York Times'
Charles Isherwood and the New York Post's
Michael Riedel.
"Minsky's" had been announced for the Ahmanson in winter 1999. "We gave up hope,"
Charles Strouse said of the decade-long wait. Despite having also written "Annie" and "Bye, Bye Birdie," the composer said he doesn't much like opening nights. "I see only the hole in the sock," he noted. His wife,
Barbara, quickly added, "But he knows this is a wonderful sock."
"Minsky's" is all about burlesque great Billy Minsky, and the Ahmanson aud was sprinkled with what looked like vet strippers. "No, they're just the wives of Bel-Air," said one wag. For the post-preem party, guests walked kitty-corner to a meeting room in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. "This is ironic!" said "Minsky's" lyricist
Susan Birkenhead. Who knew that the Catholic Church would one day embrace ecdysiasts?
-- Robert Hofler
Contact Robert Hofler at
bob.hofler@variety.com