WESTSIDE GLORY
The city of Los Angeles offers many cultural gems, but as any Malibu art lover can tell you, getting to them can be brutal. Enter the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, and suddenly life takes on a rosy glow. Instead of slogging down the 10 for an hour or two, Malibu Seen zipped down PCH and made it to the opening night inaugural party in about 15 minutes.
The Westside’s newest performing arts center is part of Santa Monica College and was made possible thanks to a bond measure passed by Malibu and Santa Monica voters as well as a $10 million endowment from philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad.
It was a special night for the Broads and Malibu neighbor Dustin Hoffman, who co-hosted the evening. The two-time Oscar winner is a Santa Monica College alum and perhaps the school’s most famous living face. “They asked James Dean,” the veteran actor quipped, “But he was unavailable.”
The festivities kicked off with a cocktail reception under the stars. Locals like music-loving Ginny Mancini, opera CEO Marc Stern, celeb chef Michael McCarty and his artistic wife Kim were greeted by a lively group of performance artists who took the outdoor stage dressed in hip neo-Renaissance garb, playing an interesting mix of world music. Servers made the rounds with delish chicken dumplings with apricot sauce, flatbread pizza and sensational spicy cucumber shooters. As the band played on, guests settled in to enjoy a fabulous feast by one of the city’s best caterers. Along Came Mary and a small army of staff dished out short ribs with market veggies, citrus and herb-crusted salmon, blue cheese bread pudding and wild mushroom ravioli.
Soon it was showtime, and with the legendary Barbara Cook on stage, no one wanted to miss out. The Broadway icon wowed the crowd with a delightful selection of tunes from the American songbook. At the ripe old age of 83, she has the vigor and presence of a performer half her age. As one local music critic noted, it’s almost unfair to review a new venue when someone like Cook is on stage. The songbird’s selections included standards from Stephen Sondheim and classics like “I’m Through With Love” and Gershwin’s catchy “Nashville Nightingale.”
Unlike some of the larger venues downtown, architect Renzo Zecchetto’s special space is easy and intimate with a fresh modern feel. Easy is the operative word and that’s just how the planners and designers wanted it to be. Their hope is that a last-minute decision to catch a show will be as simple for Westsiders as for jaded culture vultures in New York who can simply hop a cab or downtown loft dwellers who can walk to Disney Hall. In addition to the 499-seat theater, there is a smaller room called the Edye Second Space. Together they will serve as a showcase for all kinds of upcoming performances, including the Lula Dance Washington Dance Theater, Kent Nagano with soloists from the Montreal Symphony, as well as Malibu jazzman Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin.
The opening night concert was followed by a cozy after party.
By the time Tom Schnabel was spinning tunes, it was clear that the Broad Stage won over many fans, including the evening’s headliner.
“So many people talk about doing something like this,” Cook marveled. “But who actually goes out and does it?”
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