The Ugly, the Good and the Bad

The Scene: Thursday night at Tatou in Beverly Hills, where guests gathered after the West Coast premiere of “Guys and Dolls.” Nikki Haskell and Gary Pudney organized the celebration, which honored the show’s leading lady, Lorna Luft. The musical runs at the Pantages Theatre through Dec. 12.

The Buzz: Mass chaos at the door led to raw nerves. As guests tired of waiting behind the ropes outside in the cold, the scene rapidly got ugly. Wailed the woman staffing the door, “There are grown people in tuxedos bowling me over.” Once inside, party-goers were shuttled through one tiny door that ran smack into the buffet, creating human gridlock and claustrophobia. A sampling of comments from the lobby: “This isn’t my idea of a good time.” “Don’t make me go back in there.” And from one woman who was swimming upstream trying to get out of the club: “Forget it. I’ll have a candy bar when I get home.” On the other hand, the buzz on the show was great.

Who Was There: “Guys and Dolls” stars Luft, David Garrison, Patricia Ben Peterson and Richard Muenz, who all joined guests Gloria Allred, Desi Arnaz Jr., Jay Bernstein, Milton Berle, Jack Carter, Jack Haley Jr., KABC radio host Michael Jackson, Anne Jeffreys, Sally Kirkland, Martin Landau, Sid Luft, Nolan Miller, Lois Nettleton, Suzanne Pleshette, Juliet Prowse, Cesar Romero, Barbara Rush, Anna Nicole Smith, Brenda Vaccaro, Jerry Vale and Pia Zadora.

Dress Code: Invitations requested black tie or “Guys and Dolls attire.” Comic Jack Carter obliged with a black shirt and yellow tie.

Chow: Food reviews were good; the problem was trying to find a place to eat. Pia Zadora was spotted wandering around with a plate of pasta looking lost. She should have followed the lead of the folks who ended up perched on the edge of the stage, plates on their laps.

Noted: A little chilly weather was all that was needed for this crowd to get the furs out--a taboo in some Hollywood closets, but not with this group.

Triumphs: With its banquet booths and elegant retro-Hollywood look, Tatou is a terrific location for an opening-night event.

Glitches: The club still has plenty of bugs to work out before it can truly satisfy party-goers.