When my friend, Power Woman Bonnie Comley, the founder and CEO of BroadwayHD and a Tony award-winning theatre producer, invited me to the Bay Street Theater, she added that she and her husband, Tony award-winning Stewart F. Lane, were acting in the play Fahrenheit 451. Of course I was so happy to see them perform, and I immediately said yes — I wasn’t disappointed.
The Bay Street Theater, a gem of a cultural institution in Sag Harbor, is one of my favorite places to visit. As an added bonus, Lynn Mestel, the recently appointed chairman of their board, who has become a friend thanks to my friend Keith Green’s introduction, invited me for a pre-show dinner with their friends Ken and Rita Warner.
We are neighbors — she lives in Quogue and me in Quiogue — and I met Lynn and her husband Hayes Roth at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, just down the block from the theater on bustling Main Street.
As I entered the restaurant to meet them, I saw friends at the bar and then was tapped on the shoulder by another dear friend, Jonathan Tibett. He was there with his family after attending a fundraiser for the South Fork Bakery, a powerful organization employing people with special needs in a workforce and social skills training program.
I had met some of their employees at the Westhampton Beach Farmers Market selling their delicious baked goods the week before — more to follow about their important mission!
Jon, who owns the two-star Michelin restaurant North Fork Table & Inn in Southold, as well as The Shoals Marina & Hotel, Southold Social and the Southold General Store, is expanding to open a hotel and spa soon, also in Southold. It’s always a treat to see him and his beautiful wif
I got pulled away from them when my host Lynn arrived, but Jon and I made a date to meet again soon.
At dinner with Lynn, there were lively discussions, one about their recent trip to Austria, relishing a remarkable performance of The Sound of Music in its original venue, and then, talk turned to our new New York City mayor.
The delicious dinner was all too short because we had a bewitching hour — getting to the theater on time. We did and we enjoyed a remarkable 90-minute performance of Fahrenheit 451.
I was delighted to see Bonnie and Stewart in their cameo parts! After the show, they glowed with happiness, loving being in the show’s multiple performances!
The thought-provoking play based on a novel written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury is about a dystopian world where firemen burn books, where they make fires rather than putting them out. It’s a world where no one reads books and free thought is forbidden; a world where censorship and mindless conformity reign. The book was banned in some states, but survives and is flourishing as a movie and now a reinvented play.
An added bonus to seeing my friends in the show was to learn that our beloved Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni’s talented daughter Anna Francesca Schiavoni was a star in the play. Stay tuned for more about this hometown actress who lit up the stage with her performance.
It was a great night of seeing many old friends and finding new ones!
The production is being made available to school students Monday to Friday at 10 a.m. through Nov. 30, and there are multiple dates for adults. Visit baystreet.org for more information!
Another highlight of the week was the 7 a.m. breakfast launch of our new Schneps Connects Club at the Garden City Hotel. Brilliant businessman — and my neighbor in Quiogue — and founder of 1-800-Flowers, Jim McCann, shared his wisdom with the business leaders in the packed room.
Jim discussed several ideas, but I was taken by his talk on the need to invest in staff training for the AI revolution ahead.
He also talked about Arthur Brooks, a Harvard Professor of Happiness, who, after years of research, found that the key to a happy life is to stay close to family and friends, have faith and do meaningful work. An impactful message!
Artist Sarah Goone, of Radiant Eye Studio, did a word board sharing many of Jim’s wise words and enjoy and learn as I did!
It was worth getting up so early to hear Jim speak. We expect to offer regular connecting opportunities for Schneps Connects members.
More to come!
Visit schnepsmedia.com/events/schneps-connects for more information.
What a week it was!
