Just when the hype surrounding Sex and the City's final episode was beginning to recede and the last of the related parties had come to an end, HBO once again commanded attention with the season premiere party for The Sopranos. Following a screening at Radio City Music Hall, HBO director of media relations Angela Lomascolo produced a party for 2,500 guests on Rockefeller Center's concourse level (which includes the Sea Grill, Rock Center Cafe, Cucina Restaurant and the public plazas).
Matthew David Events' decor mimicked a Southern Italian dinner party, like one Carmela Soprano might host for her family. Around the dining rooms, large flower arrangements perched atop burgundy antiqued wooden buffets included olive branches and lemons. Potted herbs, mimosa and poppy blossoms and garlic and artichoke topiaries topped the dining tables, which were surrounded by wicker and Bellini chairs. Bentley Meeker lit the interior spaces with warm, cozy tones.
Restaurant Associates served a selection of pizzas, olives, cheeses, mini meatballs in marinara, eggplant caponata and other Italian fare on mismatched ceramic trays to evoke a casual, family-style meal. Guests—including James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and other series cast members—mingled while listening to Italian standards like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra provided by Caramel Sound, Music & Lights and Qool DJ Marv.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photos by Philip Greenberg
Read our coverage of the 2002 Sopranos season premiere party...
Read our coverage of the last Sex and the City season premiere party...
