The scene: Wednesday’s opening-night performance of “Durante,”...

The scene: Wednesday’s opening-night performance of “Durante,” a new musical about the bulbous-nosed entertainer. The show, which the producers hope is Broadway-bound, went on at 7 p.m. at the Shubert Theatre in Century City. Afterward, guests drove to Chasen’s in Beverly Hills for a late supper. (Chasen’s was one of Jimmy Durante’s favorite L.A. eateries, and the site of his 75th birthday party in 1969.)

The Buzz: Besides the usual opening night chitchat, the topic on everyone’s lips was that afternoon’s announcement that the Los Angeles Herald Examiner would cease publication on Thursday. If everyone who claimed to read the Her-Ex actually did so on a daily basis, perhaps the paper would still be in business. (That paper’s social chroniclers, Joan Agajanian Quinn and Bill Higgins, didn’t show up at the opening; they stayed late at the paper composing their final dispatches.)

Who Was There: Jimmy Durante’s wife Margie and daughter CeCe; the show’s star Lonny Price and producer Nicky Fylan; and a galaxy of Hollywood performers that one frequent party-goer referred to as “hoofers and heifers.” Spotted at the party: restaurateur Maude Chasen, Danny Thomas, Robert Morse, Rose Marie, Shelley Winters, Ann Miller, Jan Murray, Jack Carter, and “SCTV” stars Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara.

Dress Code: Old-time Hollywood, with spangled gowns for the women and natty suits and dinner jackets for the men.

Fashion Statement: Rose Marie’s voluminous knee-length gold lame jacket, accented with her trademark hair bow.

Noted: Wacky Ernest Borgnine and Red Buttons wrapped their arms around each other and swung onto the dance floor for a photo opportunity.

Quoted: A friendly waiter, serving after-dinner coffee, assured guests, “We don’t use the coffee crystals like they did in the commercial.”

Chow: A sit-down buffet of broiled fish, chopped salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken pot pie. Dessert was ice cream topped with coconut shavings and a Durante-style fedora made of chocolate.

Triumph: Chasen’s tinted its back parking lot and filled it with tables, a swing band and a 10-foot wide fedora hat that hung over dancers on the dance floor. Very comfortable.

Glitches: A minor point, but guests were kept waiting for about 20 minutes in a very crowded anteroom before the tent was opened. All in all though, a smooth evening.

Crashability: Pretty easy. One perennial gate crasher was spotted inside, circling the buffet and stuffing fresh seafood into his mouth--and his pockets.