Cocktails at Table 7- Inside New York’s Joe Allen Sean Kent, Jason Woodruff, Dana Mierlak

What a fabulous round of “Cocktails” we had with the incomparable Lucie Arnaz. From TV to Broadway, from movies to the West End, Lucie’s accomplishments as a performer are only matched by her gifts as a storyteller. From hula hoops, to trapeze acts, to directing, to headlining sold-out evenings of cabaret, to organizing a club for legendary matinée “idles,” there is nothing this woman can’t do! Fortunately for us, her connection to Joe’s runs deep, and so do her memories (one might even say, dining at Joe’s changed her life forever.) Our sincerest thanks to the wonderfully talented and vivacious Lucie for sharing her time and memories with us. This is one “Song” you’ll be glad to be “Playing.” What? That doesn't make sense? Who cares? These episodes are free. Cheers!

Our pal, Lee Wilkof, has been a regular at Joe Allen for decades, almost as long as he has been delighting Broadway and off-Broadway audiences in seminal musical hits like Assassins, Kiss Me Kate, and Little Shop of Horrors. On this, our final episode of “Cocktails at Table 7” of 2022, we enjoy a heartfelt and intimate chat with one of the great New York character actors. We discuss everything from the integral role his wife of 35 years played in his casting as Seymour Krelborn, the recent health crisis that shook up his world and set him on a path of greater health and happiness, his longtime friendship with the late, great, Mark Blum, and the ineffable appeal of that enduring Joe Allen classic, the La Scala “salad”. (*not actually a salad)

This episode's guest really needs no introduction, but we'll try. She was once a regularly scheduled visitor in our living rooms or (for some of us) our college dorm room, an actress, comedian, staunch supporter of Broadway, lover of theatre, activist, and, most importantly, for us, a beloved Joe Allen regular. We are honored, giddy in fact, that the one and only Rosie O’Donnell joined us for a round of cocktails. She regaled us with tales of her early days as a comedian, educating people about theatre history, what it was like interviewing Julie Andrews, the infamous cajun chicken sandwich scandal….. Thank you Rosie! Cheers!

In addition to being one of the busiest and most respected actors on Broadway, Danny Burstein is equally beloved in the theatrical community for his boundless warmth, humor, and kindness. We were honored to share this round of “Cocktails” with him, learning all about his early childhood growing up on Shakespeare Avenue in the Bronx, his time spent dancing in traffic at the world famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, the early jobs and relationships that launched his career, and the pearls of wisdom he collected working with the legendary Tony Randall. Danny also shared beautiful remembrances from his decades long marriage to the radiant Rebecca Luker, insights on how he has managed to cope with the profound challenges of the recent past, and how gratitude is central to his life and art.

Matthew Broderick isn’t just a two-time Tony Award winning award winning actor who has starred in a dozen Broadway shows, or a beloved star of countless hit films and TV shows who has been an audience favorite for decades. He’s also one of the most engaging and hilarious guests we’ve ever had the privilege of “sharing a round” with, and, in this episode, we have an absolute ball discussing anything and everything with this true Joe Allen all-star. We explore Matthew’s affectionate decades-long relationship with Joe Allen Restaurant, his incredible collaborations with showbiz icons like Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Jason Robards and Marlon Brando, and the stringent requirements one must meet in order to land a coveted spot on the Joe Allen flop wall.

Before Jesse Tyler Ferguson was a charming, familiar face in American living rooms on the groundbreaking hit sitcom, Modern Family, he was a charming, familiar face at Joe Allen. This week, we enjoyed a high-spirited round with this versatile actor, producer, author, and regular, who is currently back on Broadway in a much anticipated revival of Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award®-winning, Take Me Out. We explored the life changing philanthropic work Jesse’s Modern Family fame has enabled him to do, the inspiration he found as a young theatergoer in the work of William Finn and James Lapine, the ins and outs of the Albuquerque children’s theater scene, and what it takes to brave the elements on the stage of the Delacorte Theatre.