Dans Papers - May 25, 2007 - South O' the Highway... (and the North too)

Mel Brooks and Susan Stroman are bringing their hit movie, Young Frankenstein, to the Broadway stage this year. So far, Schuler Hensley has signed on to play the role of "The Monster," made famous by the late East Hampton actor Peter Boyle. Megan Mullaly, Sutton Foster, Andrea Martin, Roger Bart and Christopher Fitzgerald have also joined the cast.

The Hampton Designer Showhouse will hold their annual Gala Preview Party on Saturday, July 21 in Bridgehampton to benefit Southampton Hospital. Mrs. Alessandro di Montezemolo and Mrs. Mildred Brinn are the Honorary Co-Chairs of the Showhouse. Mr. Mario Buatta is Honorary Gala Chair and Ms. Hilary Geary Ross is the Gala Chair. Mr. Gary Crain is Honorary Design Chair and Mr. James Alan Smith is Decorative Arts Chair. Journal Management will be provided by Ms. Kay Gilman and Showhouse Management will be provided by Mr. Tony Manning. Showhouse Operations are provided by Ms. Mary Lynch. Approximately 25 top interior and decorative designers will turn a lavish shingle style mansion donated by George Gavalas into a decorating masterpiece. The Showhouse will run until Sunday, September 2.

Sometime Quogue resident and media mogul Tom Freston addressed students at his son, Andrew's graduation from Emerson College last week.

East Hampton's Stewart Lane, producer of the Tony Award-nominated musical, Legally Blonde, signed copies of his new book, Let's Put on a Show, at a benefit for The Theatre Museum at Elaine's on May 14.

Emmy and Tony award-winning choreographer Patricia Birch, mother of Alison Becker Hurt of Alison's in Bridgehampton, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award last week for her work in the new musical about the love affair between Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, Love/Musik. The announcement was made at the Friars Club at a breakfast organized by Southampton's Randie Levine Miller.

Chuck Close, internationally celebrated painter, photographer, and printmaker, spoke to students, parents, and educators about life with dyslexia as part of the NYU Child Study Center's Adam Katz Memorial Lecture Series on Thursday, May 17 at The Spence School in New York City.

On Saturday, May 26, Amaryllis Farm Equine Rescue in Bridgehampton will hold their annual Country Fair from 12 to 4 p.m. All the horses, refreshments and equine fun any horse lover could want will be there. For more information, call (631) 537-7335, www.forrascal.com.

On June 6, Susyn Reeve will discuss her book, With Forgiveness: Are You Ready? and join in a Forgiveness Circle at Ananda Yoga & Wellness center in Southampton.

Family Counseling Services will hold its annual Benefit Gala, Reach for the Stars, on The Great Lawn in Westhampton Beach, on Saturday, July 14, in honor of Maggie Gilliam, who will receive the Family of Man Humanitarian Award. Gala Chairs Kaye and Jack Kringstein have arranged an evening complete with an auction as well as cocktails and dinner by Starr Boggs and dancing to the Ric Mango Band. For more information, call Tricia O'Hare, at (631) 288-1954, ext.249 or visit www.familycounselingsvc.org.

East End artist Haim Mizrahi kicks off the summer season with a monumental show of his large-scale paintings Memorial Day Weekend at East Hampton Studios in Wainscott. There is an opening reception on Saturday, May 26, with special performances by New York Groove Associates jazz trio and African percussion session with local musicians Jay Schneiderman, Dan Bailey and Ken Sacks. The works will also be on display Sunday and Monday.

On June 23, there will be a fundraiser for Presidential Candidate John Edwards at the home of Dennis Erdman in East Hampton. Both John and his wife Elizabeth will be in attendance.

William D. Shapiro, East Hampton H.S. class of 2002, son of Linda B. Shapiro & Morton Kassover, graduated from Virginia Tech on Saturday, May 12. He will be attending Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in Lansing, Michigan.

On June 2, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic's East End benefit, Pop!, will be held in Sag Harbor, hosted by Lisa Perry and her husband, Richard. Pop! will feature an auction of 60s art, design and fashion. Committee members Greg Turpan and Zesty Meyers are working on the design segment of the auction event. The auction will include design by Steuben, Robert Wilson, Bertoia and Verner Panton, art by Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman, photographs by Bert Stern and Burt Glinn and vintage fashion by Emilio Pucci, Geoffrey Beane, Marimekko, Courrege and Pauline Trigere, as well as many others.

Montauk's County Legislator Jay Schneiderman will be playing with fellow musicians Dan Bailey and Ken Sacks at the opening of Haim Mizrahi's show, That's Where You Come In, at East Hampton Studios this Saturday. Jazz ensemble New York Grooves Associates will also be playing. Mizrahi's show of large-scale paintings and mixed media works will be on display from May 26 -28.

Designer Jill Stuart is scheduled to open her second freestanding store in the United States this Memorial Day week at 62 The Circle in East Hampton. The 1,500-square-foot boutique will house the seasonal Jill Stuart collection, as well as their expanded accessories collection of signature handbags and shoes. Additionally, the store will carry the new contemporary Jill line, launching for the first time this fall.

Quogue resident Michael Gardner was honored with the Hope Award at the 16th Annual Gala benefiting the Mental Health Association of New York City (MHA of NYC) on May 8 at The Pierre Hotel. Mr. Garnder's wife, Lynda, served as Board Chairman for the Gala. Councilman G. Oliver Koppell was also honored. Mr. Gardner's award was presented to him by Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, Joe Peyronnin acted as MC and entertainment was provided by Jon Anderson of Yes, backed by the School of Rock Music All Stars.

Aretha Franklin will again be spending part of July in the Hamptons, which she loves, according to her long-time agent, Ruth Bowen.

Stars of film, stage and screen will turn out for a salute to legendary teacher and director Wynn Handman and the institution he co-founded, The American Place Theatre. Handman has taught thousands of actors, including James Caan, Kathleen Chalfant, Sandy Duncan, Susan Lucci, Donna Mills, Burt Reynolds, Tony Roberts, Anna Deavere Smith, Mira Sorvino, Christopher Walken, Denzel Washington, Joanne Woodward, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway and Frank Langella, as well as and playwrights such as Sam Shepard, Ed Bullins, and Steve Tesich. Former students and alumni will participate in a special show created for the gala by Jonathan Reynolds and directed by Emmy award-winner Ed Sherin. Joanne Woodward, Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, Joel Grey, Sydney Pollack, Marian Seldes, Lauren Graham, Aasif Mandvi, Barbara Cook, Chris Cooper, Dael Orlandersmith, Doris Robert, Eric Bogosian, Jane Alexander, Lemon Andersen, Richard Schiff and Woodie King, Jr. will all be in attendance.

Poet Barbara Goldowsky of East Hampton has had two of her recent poems included in the latest Outrider Press anthology, A Walk Through My Garden.

The Montauk Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their annual Long Island Wine Tasting Cruise to the grounds of the beautiful Montauk Lighthouse on Saturday, July 21.

Alec Baldwin, Jon and Dorothea Bon Jovi are the honorary chairs for the July 21 GET WILD fundraiser, benefiting the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons. Caroline Hirsch, Karin Yapalater and Victoria Bijou will also serve as event chairs. Committee members include Marty Richards, Conan O'Brien, Chris Noth, Lorne and Alice Michaels, Melissa Cohn, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Jonathan Tisch, Lizzie Rudnick, Brenda Siemer and Roy Scheider, Caryn and Jeff Zucker, amongst many others. The event, hosted by Marcy and Michael Warren, will honor Missy Hargraves and Andy Sabin. For more information, contact Linda B. Shapiro at (631) 329-5480.

On Friday, June 15, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present The Cary Grant Few People Knew exhibit, curated by Wainscott resident Nancy Nelson Lanchner, author of Evenings with Cary Grant.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the play's Broadway debut, the Hampton Theatre Company will present Jean Anouilh's Leocadia at the Quogue Community Hall from May 31 through June 17. The play was originally shown on Broadway in 1957, starring Richard Burton, Helen Hayes and Susan Strasberg, in a production that originated at East Hampton's Guild Hall. In this production, Joy Marr will play the central role of Amanda, Gordon Gray plays Prince Albert. Diana Marbury plays the Duchess and Christopher Linn plays her befuddled sidekick, Hector. They are joined by James Ewing, Jason Marr, John Downing and Albert Gigliati. The set is by Peter Marbury, with lighting by Sebastian Paczynski and costumes by Teresa Lebrun. For more information, call (631) 653-8955, e-mail hamptontheatre@optonline.net or visit www.hamptontheatre.org.

Lorraine Bracco will host this year's Artists Against Abuse gala in support of The Retreat's domestic violence services, auctioning off the pilot script from HBO's "The Sopranos," signed by thirteen of the original cast members. The script will be offered for auction at the event on Saturday, June 23, at Hampton Hall in Southampton.

Peter Michalos, MD was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University P&S and listed in Best Doctors in America 2007.

ARS Financial Services, Inc. announced today that Valentina Janek has been named Director of Marketing.

Bruce Littlefield, author of the new HarperCollins book, Garage Sale America, is coming to the Hamptons in June to look for items to be auctioned off in a garage sale for the benefit of charity to be held sometime this summer.

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel is going to be honored by the Police Athletic League on May 29 at the Pierre Hotel. Regis Philbin will MC the event, which is chaired by Donald Trump.

Manhattan's Kaufman Center recently honored Bruce Mosler, Paul Ingrassia, and John Schaefer at a gala hosted by Peter Schickele held on May 30. The gala featured Laurie Anderson, Marilyn Bergman and Meredith Monk. Attendees bid on lunch with Robert A.M. Stern and box seats for Justin Timberlake's upcoming concert. The Kaufman Center board chairman is Montauk resident Henry Kaufman and vice chairman is East Hampton resident Rosalind Devon.

Fighting Chance, the first free-of-charge cancer counseling and resource center of its kind serving the East End, will celebrate its fifth anniversary and the opening of their new offices, at 112 Hampton Street in Sag Harbor, on Saturday, June 16 from 3-6 p.m. Tax-deductible tickets may be purchased in advance by contacting Fighting Chance at (631) 725-4646.