The restaurant in Manhattan's Crowne Plaza Hotel has long been called "the Broadway Grill," but now it will truly put Broadway pizzazz into its atmosphere. Under new management and set for a gala reopening Oct. 22, the Broadway Grill will display dozens of Broadway props and costumes, on loan from the Theatre Development Fund costume collection.
As reported in the New York Post, the restaurant (at 1605 Broadway between 48th & 49th St.) will use its re-opening night party to honor actress Phyllis Newman and use a percentage of receipts from the first week as donations to her "Women's Health Initiative."
Broadway Grill spokesperson Marilyn Boll told Playbill On-Line (Oct. 13) the restaurant's background music would be "only showtunes," and that Saturday/Sunday brunches would often feature casts of Broadway shows performing. The first, Oct. 25-26 will be Grease!, with Chicago expectedly next year.
As far as costumes on display, here's a sample list:
An Angela Lansbury gown from Mame
Jane Alexander's garb from The Visit
Gregory Hines' Jelly's Last Jam tap shoes
A kangaroo from La Cage Aux Folles
Two costumes from Jerome Robbins' Broadway
Ben Vereen's silver tailcoats from Jelly's Last Jam
Patrick Stewart's shirt from A Christmas Carol
Elizabeth Wilson's petticoat from Mornings At Seven
Kitty Carlisle Hart's robe and negligee in Light Up The Sky (which was penned by her husband, Moss Hart)
Bernard Hughes' pipes from Da
Ralph Bellamy's pince nez from Sunrise At Campobello
Zero Mostel's coat from Fiddler On The Roof
A busker jacket from My Fair Lady
Items from the Cats junkyard, including a can of Purina, a beer bottle, and a shoe thrown at one of the cats
Joel Grey's white gloves from Chicago
And of course, a gypsy robe.
Boll said there would also be a self-portrait by Zero Mostel and special sheet music tributes to Richard Rodgers and Irving Berlin on display. (From 1921-33, Berlin's music publishing company was on the site where the hotel now stands.) For reservations at the Broadway Grill call (212) 315-6161.
--By David Lefkowitz
