Premiere Hosts Love the Paris This Fall

If you wanted to spot celebrities this week, the Paris Theater was the place to be. Three films had their premieres there in the space of three days.Monday, Claire Danes, Billy Crudup, and Rupert Everett came out for their film “Stage Beauty.” Tuesday, “Shall We Dance?” debuted with many of its stars in attendance, including Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon. Annette Bening, the lead in “Being Julia,” was on hand for the film’s premiere Wednesday (minus her co-star Jeremy Irons).What makes the Paris so special?“I like that there’s not one bad seat in the house; even if you’re in the back row and in the mezzanine, it’s still a perfect place to see a movie. So no guest is unhappy,” noted the vice president of special events at Miramax, Dina Wise, who handled the premiere for “Shall We Dance?”“The marquee is so stunning,” said Sarah Greenberg of Lions Gate Entertainment, whose company released “Stage Beauty.” “It’s a classic theater. The location is key – it’s such a New York environment,” she added. The theater is nestled between Bergdorf Goodman and the Plaza at the foot of Central Park – and around the bend from Asprey, which hosted the “Stage Beauty” after-party.The theater’s general manager, Michael Rodriguez, noted that New Yorkers in the business have personal connections to the theater. “The relationships we’ve developed with the studios are through the producers, directors and actors themselves that have been to the Paris as patrons,” he said. The small lobby adds to the intimate atmosphere: “Everyone’s right in your face, you have the fans outside – they generally get to see the stars closer than they can elsewhere,” he said.“Three is a busy week; we average one or two private events a month,” he added.Built in 1948, the Paris is the longest continually running art house in America. Many original features remain, such as the red velvet seats. “It’s a little old school in terms of comfort factor. People are used to being able to recline and have a place to put their soda… but one can forego those things for the style and classiness of the place,” said the founder and chief executive of Gen Art, Ian Gerard, who attended the “Stage Beauty” screening.The Paris runs mostly independent and foreign movies, and its small size makes it ideal for premieres of such films. It has also hosted lots of big-budget film premieres, including “The Gangs of New York” and “The Hours.”The film director for Gen Art, Jeffrey Abramson, which holds events in both Los Angeles and New York, weighed in on the East or West Coast dilemma. “A lot of people appreciate the New York sensibility of a premiere – the smarter films like to premiere in New York,” he said.“If the film is set in New York, you at least hold the premiere in New York first,” said Shannon Goss, a partner in the entertainment publicity firm Falco Ink.For “Maria Full of Grace.” Falco Ink held a “special screening, to give back to the community,” in Jackson Heights, where parts of the movie were shot. The premiere followed the next day in Manhattan.The guests at a New York premiere differ greatly from guests at ones in L.A.“In New York, you get that mix of people. In Los Angeles, it’s strictly film crew, all entertainment all the time. In New York, you’ll meet someone who’s in business or a trade or in politics. In L.A. the only lawyer you’ll meet is an entertainment lawyer,” Ms. Wise said.Event organizers love that the Paris is a standalone theater. “You can take over the whole place – which you need when you’re working with that caliber of talent, like J. Lo. You need a big red carpet,” said Ms. Wise. “It’s not intrusive to other patrons that are trying to just go see ‘Shark Tale.'”Peggy Siegal, the queen of film events, said the top theaters in New York are the Ziegfeld, the Paris, the Beekman – all single-screen theaters – and Loews Lincoln Square 12. Another oft-mentioned theater in industry circles is Chelsea Clearview Cinemas, where “Vanity Fair” had its premiere. Laura Linney’s latest, “P.S.,” has its premiere there next week.A hot new venue may be the Brooklyn Museum, where Miramax’s premiere for Johnny Depp’s “Finding Neverland” is being held. “It’s one of the most amazing spaces in any place I’ve ever worked,” said Ms. Wise, who looked at the space at Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz’s invitation.The eternal question, of course, is who’s invited? Ms. Siegal described how she put together the guest list for “Stage Beauty.”“The film is about the last man to play a woman and the first woman to play a woman on the Shakespearean stage; it was originally a play in England. It’s not only about Shakespeare but also sexuality and acting and women’s liberation. So the first priority was to invite actors and directors from the film industry and the Broadway stage.”Seen were Liam Neeson, F. Murray Abraham (“Amadeus”), Jefferson Mays (who won a best actor Tony for “I am My Own Wife”), Ben Shenkman (who appeared in “Angels in America” and “Sight Unseen”), Anna Paquin, Tovah Feldshuh, and playwrights Jon Robin Baitz and Doug Wright (who won a Pulitzer and a Tony for “I Am My Own Wife”).Then again, it all comes down to substance: “The recipe for a great premiere is a great movie that everybody wants to see,” Ms. Siegal said.

Premiere Hosts Love the Paris This Fall

Premiere Hosts Love the Paris This Fall

More from the New York Sun

Wynton Marsalis’s Homecoming Farewell

Trump, at Joint Press Conference with Mamdani, Expresses Optimism That Mayor Will Be a ‘Great One’

A Raid on the Presidency

In the Next 43 Days, Nobody Should Underestimate Trump and the GOP

Lula Touts Leftist Record With Mamdani as Polls Show Presidential Election a Toss-Up in Brazil

DOJ, USDA Join Forces at Animal Cruelty Strike Force Roundtable to Boost Federal Prosecutions

Leader of The Second Intifada or Hamas Could Win if Palestinian Elections Go Ahead

Iowa Republicans Begin Sounding Alarm on Iran War as a Senate Race and Two House Seats Fall Into Toss-Up Territory

More from the New York Sun

Wynton Marsalis’s Homecoming Farewell

Trump, at Joint Press Conference with Mamdani, Expresses Optimism That Mayor Will Be a ‘Great One’

A Raid on the Presidency

In the Next 43 Days, Nobody Should Underestimate Trump and the GOP

Lula Touts Leftist Record With Mamdani as Polls Show Presidential Election a Toss-Up in Brazil

DOJ, USDA Join Forces at Animal Cruelty Strike Force Roundtable to Boost Federal Prosecutions

Leader of The Second Intifada or Hamas Could Win if Palestinian Elections Go Ahead

Iowa Republicans Begin Sounding Alarm on Iran War as a Senate Race and Two House Seats Fall Into Toss-Up Territory