Ethan Hawke, Cynthia Nixon, Rosie Perez, Billy Porter and Anika Noni Rose performed at a November 3rd benefit performance for the Public
Theater at Esquire Downtown (at Astor Place, 445 Lafayette Street). The
benefit was to help fund new shows at
the New York theatre institution.
A collaboration between the Public's Late Nite
Committee and Esquire House, the latter "assembled 13 top
designers who have each styled a section of two penthouse suites in the
new Sculpture for Living building at Astor Place. The Public Theater is
one of ten New York City charities Esquire has chosen. . . . For this
one-night-only event, the Late Nite Committee is creating an evening of
'site specific' scenes and musical numbers — performed in the spaces,
throughout the party," according to press notes. Featured in the benefit were Rose's rendition of "The Lowdown Down" from Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party, Nixon's performance of a scene from Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day and Hawke's performance of a scene from Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio.