Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jane Fonda: Cher, Anjelica, Colin Farrell Toast Her LA Play Premiere

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Two time Oscar winner Jane Fonda brought her Tony nominated role in “33 Variations” to Los Angeles last night. Opening at the Ahmanson Theatre, Fonda got a standing ovation and lots of cheering from a crowd that included Cher, Anjelica Huston, Jane’s brother Peter Fonda and son Troy Garity, Colin Farrell, Benjamin McKenzie, Carla Gugino, Ben Vereen, Christian Slater, Penny Marshall, Steve Bing, Loree Rodkin, the great songwriter Mike Stoller and his equally great wife Corky, and boyfriend famed record producer Richard Perry.

What a night for Fonda, who led a sold out run on Broadway and now has a similar situation on her hands through March 6th at the Ahmanson. In this production it’s mostly the same cast including Samantha Mathis and Zach Grenier. The only change is Greg Keller, who effortlessly takes over from Colin Hanks.

Moises Kaufman’s critically praised play about mortality and obsession seemed even better here in LA as the playwright has made a few small changes to make the show even tighter. The comedy/drama juxtapositions Fonda’s musicologist–who’s fighting ALS–as she researches Beethoven’s last great work as he battles age and illness.

Fonda, 73, and looking like a million bucks, held court after the performance at the nearby Border Grill in the new, bustling downtown LA. There was much talk about what she might do next. Word is that “West Side Story” director Arthur Laurents–who’s yes, 93 years old, just sent her his new play to star in on Broadway. But Fonda–who’s reading scripts for new films or a possible HBO or Showtime series–turned him down.

And also much talk about Richard Perry’s huge success this winter with Rod Stewart’s latest “Songbook.” It was Perry who developed the Songbook idea with Stewart a decade ago. Now their latest collaboration is nominated for a Grammy award this weekend.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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