Another opening, another party

With sentimental show tunes providing the musical backdrop, party guests tossed down bubbly and savored appetizers under trees studded with twinkle lights as they waited for the guest of honor -- theater icon Elaine Stritch.

It was opening night at the Ahmanson Theatre for the comedic actress’ one-woman opus, “Elaine Stritch at Liberty,” and, knowing she would be weary following a nearly three-hour show -- and that she eschews a big “do” -- Susan Obrow chose to set up an informal reception near the stage door. “We gear each celebration to the production and the wishes of its stars,” she said of her planning philosophy. “We don’t do cookie-cutter parties.”

Not even close. From the clambake on the Los Angeles Music Center plaza that launched a run of “Carousel” to the party at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion she’s dreaming up for Lily Tomlin’s May 21 opening in “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” Obrow, the Ahmanson’s assistant producer, is a creator of one-of-a-kind opening night experiences. There was the meatloaf and mashed potato supper that celebrated “Death of a Salesman.” The re-creation of the final dinner on the “Titanic” that kicked off the musical by the same name. And the posh Viennese dinner -- replete with richly decorated cakes -- for “Amadeus.” She hasn’t yet decided on the theme for the Tomlin affair, or the bash that will mark the opening in July of “42nd Street,” but she knows exactly how she will arrive at them. “I’ll study the scripts,” said Obrow. “And the ideas will come.”

In a town where theatrical openers are nearly as frequent as film premieres, the opening night party has become a star-studded hot ticket, drawing producers, publicists and theatergoers alike. “We love opening nights. They are the essence of theater,” said Tom Viertel, co-producer of the Broadway smash “The Producers.” After the launch of its run at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood on May 29, a splash for about 1,500 guests will be held at the Palladium. “With live performances, everything you do points to opening night, and we always celebrate it with a party,” he said. “To me, the party is saying, ‘My God, we’ve done it! Let’s have a drink.’ ”

When TV celebrity Leeza Gibbons introduced her new Memory Foundation for Alzheimer’s disease research at the opening of “Cats” at the Pantages Theatre, supporters joined cast members at the Bel Age Hotel for a post-performance party on the roof. “There’s nothing quite like the energy of an opening night, even for a play that’s been around as long as ‘Cats,’ ” Gibbons said. “The toasts are more free-flowing and goodwill is easier to come by. Opening nights bring out our desire to go a little further, dress up a little more, get a little more excited.”

At the Stritch opener, actress Rosie Perez drummed her fingers on a cocktail table as she waited for a friend. “In general, these parties are fun when you know at least 50% of the people,” she said. “I like them because I can tell the people that performed how much I liked the show. If I don’t like the show, I don’t go to the party.”

Hanging out with old friends tops the list of opening night perks for actor Dick Van Dyke, also a guest at the Stritch party. “I always have such empathetic feelings for the stars because I know how tired they must be -- they just want to get off their feet and relax,” he said. “But after a show like this, I really like to go to a party and see people I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Singer-pianist Michael Feinstein’s opening night performance on Broadway was celebrated with a party at Sardi’s, he recalled during the Stritch event. “Opening night parties are part of a time-honored tradition. It’s wonderful to be a part of that.”

Evoking the era of the old Broadway musical, “The Producers” demands a party that perpetuates the magic, says event designer Mindy Weiss. “For this one, guests will feel like they’ve walked out of a musical into a musical.”

After the show, guests will stroll along a two-block stretch of red carpet from the Pantages on Hollywood Boulevard to the Palladium on Sunset -- where the parking meters will be dressed up like theatrical light boxes -- to dine on fare by Wolfgang Puck, dance to the sounds of the big band era and rub elbows with stars Jason Alexander and Martin Short. The remaining details are being as closely guarded as the winners of the Tony Awards. “We want it to be a surprise,” Weiss said.

As Viertel said: “Opening night is the moment when the show becomes the property of the audience instead of the people who created it, so the party is emotionally charged.”