Simon & Garfunkel Surprise Reunion | Jane Fonda’s Got Beethoven’s 33 | Sightings, Etc.

Simon & Garfunkel Surprise Reunion

Call it an early Valentine’s present to their New York fans. Last night Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited on stage at the reopening of the legendary Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side.

It was quite an occasion, too. In the audience were Paul McCartney (and Nancy Shevell), Jon Bon Jovi with wife Dorothea, Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman, Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter, Whoopi Goldberg, James Gandolfini, musician Robert Randolph, and Jimmy Fallon with wife Nancy Juvnonen, not to mention Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

And those were just the celebs we spotted in the front section. There may have been more in the sold-out, three-tiered auditorium, renovated to its former glory by Cablevision’s Dolan family.

The night was billed just as a Paul Simon show, and that would have been enough. Simon played for over two hours with a 20-minute intermission and covered all parts of his solo career, from “You Can Call Me Al,” “Graceland,” and “Boy in the Bubble” to earlier hits, like ”Me and Julio,” “Loves Me Like A Rock,” “Late in the Evening,” and “Slip Slidin’ Away.” For very old Simon fanatics, he threw in “Duncan” from his first solo album.

Simon also brought members of the cast of his late lamented Broadway show, “The Capeman,” who did some of those numbers. And he threw in some obscure but beautiful gems like “Fathers and Daughters,” “Train in the Distance,” and “You’re the One.”

But there was a buzz in the air, probably because yours truly spotted Garfunkel’s singer wife Kim in the audience. At least a couple of us knew what was going to happen: Garfunkel, flown up on a private plane from the middle of a Florida tour, took the stage to a thunderous ovation. I mean, people were screaming — even Paul McCartney.

The pair then did gorgeous versions of “The Sound of Silence,” “The Boxer,” and “Old Friends/Bookends” as if it were 1965 or even 1981 on Central Park’s Great Lawn. Garfunkel made one crack about Simon’s missing toupee, and Simon “zetzed” him back. But mostly what was striking was how the duo fell into their old positions, side by side. Simon is so fluid when performing with his own band, but he takes a rigid stance next to Garfunkel probably out of sense memory. Garfunkel swoops and sways next to him in time, and the two of them proceed to do something no one else in the world can do. It’s magic.

What was the show all about? I have no idea, and the tickets were expensive! But it was well worth it, and should be again tonight when Simon — sans Garfunkel but with plenty of surprises — completes the Beacon’s welcome into the Madison Square Garden/Radio City ownership.

Jane Fonda’s Got Beethoven’s 33

One Broadway play that was definitely sold out on Saturday night: Moises Kaufman’s "33 Variations." Even though it doesn’t open until March 9th, the new Kaufman offering is a hit thanks to the one and only Jane Fonda.

Yours truly caught the preview from just about the last row in the Eugene O’Neill Theater, and here’s a little report: Fonda, who hasn’t been on stage in about 40 years, is a commanding presence. She says she’s been working on her vocal projection, but you can hear her just fine in the back. There probably isn’t a bad spot anyway in the O’Neill. It’s a Broadway house with excellent acoustics.

Fonda’s castmates are superb, including Samantha Mathis, Colin Hanks, Susan Kellerman, Zack Grenier, and Don Amendiola. Kaufman has surrounded Fonda with pro’s, and it shows.

The play is fascinating: Fonda plays a researcher who goes to Bonn, Germany looking into a key moment in the life of famed composer Ludwig von Beethoven. At the same time, she is suffering from a progressive illness. The play cuts back and forth between Beethoven, who has gone deaf, writing 33 variations on a piece, and Fonda’s Katherine trying to hold on to her life.

Most new plays would be thrilled to be so far along with three weeks to go before opening night. If Saturday night’s performance is any indication, Fonda, Kaufman et al will have a hit on their hands come March 9th. Backstage, Fonda’s getting a lot of support from friends like Paley Center chief Pat Mitchell and writer Patti Bosworth, who’s finishing up her Fonda biography. And outside the stage door, it seemed as though most of the audience was waiting to meet this real Hollywood star. Bravo!

Sightings, Etc.

Floyd Mutrux’s great little musical, "Baby It’s You," is just wrapping up a successful run in West Hollywood. Next stop: the Geffen Playhouse. The story of Scepter Records, Florence Greenberg, the Shirelles, Luther Dixon, Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson etc is filled with great music produced by the legendary Richard Perry. Burt Bacharach and Hal David among other composers are well represented. But I’m told Carole King has so far disallowed use of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." The Shirelles put Carole and Gerry Goffin on the map. Oh, Carole…it’s not "too late"…

…Is there a first baby of Motown on its way? I’m told that Diana Ross’s daughter, Rhonda, whose father is Berry Gordy, is expecting…

…Writer-director Jake Paltrow, brother of Gwyneth, taking in the beautiful sunshine with his girlfriend in Greenwich Village, stopped by Bigelow famous apothecary…

…Famed writer Gay Talese stopping in for dinner last night at Elaine’s to wish Ms. Kaufman a happy birthday… Rita Cosby was at another table, on a busy Sunday night…

…Mira Sorvino on her way to Sweetie Pie, the hot new eatery on Greenwich Avenue. Lately, everyone’s talking about this place. In times of distress, the world turns to comfort food…