Theater removes seat so 6-foot-9 Magic Johnson can attend Broadway show
For once on Broadway, they were hoping not to break a leg.
Sources tell Page Six that thoughtful producers were expecting Magic Johnson to attend the opening night of “The Piano Lesson” on Thursday night so they removed the seat in front of the 6-foot-9 hoops legend so he could enjoy the show more comfortably.
An insider said they made the special effort, “[Since he was] a special guest and all, and since he made the day trip between Dodgers playoff games.” (The former Lakers star is a part-owner of the LA baseball team, which was locked in a playoffs battle against San Diego until Saturday.)
Meanwhile, we’re told exes Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke — who divorced in 2005 — were spotted chatting amiably at the afterparty at Tavern on the Green and Thurman hitched a ride in Brian Moreland’s chauffeured car after hers went missing.
The revival is something of court of Hollywood royalty. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, and Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington, and was directed by Jackson’s wife, LaTanya Richardson. It’s Richardson’s directing debut on Broadway.
Others catching the August Wilson play included Whoopi Goldberg, Kandi Burruss, Edie Falco, Joel Grey, Oscar Isaac, Al Roker, Spike Lee and Patti LuPone.
The Post’s critic Johnny Oleksinsky called the production a “blisteringly acted drama.”
As far as making adjustments for basketball stars, it’s actually fairly tame.
Page Six once reported that a nightclub that had booked Shaquille O’Neal to DJ had to tear out the floor of the DJ booth and lower it by two feet to accommodate the 7-foot-1 baller.
Johnson and his wife, Cookie, were also spotted at Fresco By Scotto on Saturday night dining with Richardson, Cookie’s close pal Nina Cooper and Visa chief marketing officer Frank Cooper III. Jackson was on stage at the time.
“After dinner, Magic went outside and started to dance with all of the guests. It felt like a party in a Saint Tropez dance club. He was super friendly and took pictures with all of his fans,” said a spy.
We hear that “LaTanya was in a hurry to make it to the theater for Samuel’s final act of the play.”
