The opening-night party for High Fidelity, the musical adaptation of Nick Hornby’s 1996 novel (and 2000 film with John Cusack) about a post-college, pop-obsessed record-store owner, wisely took advantage of Roseland’s merits. While the historic ballroom can look a little worse for wear these days, it has several things going for it: its size (1,100 people were invited, and 1,600 were expected), its Midtown location (just seven blocks from the show’s home at the Imperial), and its architectural bones (producers smartly highlighted the brick arches with colored pinspots, but kept the rest of the lighting low). Filled with witty decor and crowd-pleasing entertainment, Roseland seemed like the perfect location.Jeffrey Seller, one of the musical’s producers, hired XA, the Experiential Agency to produce the party. XA creative director Darren Andereck’s plan mixed long feast tables with lounge areas and smaller square dining tables. High tables surrounded the periphery of the dining/lounging areas on the first floor, as well as the second-floor balcony and even the stage, all with unconventional table coverings: vintage T-shirts purchased at resale clothing stores throughout the city. Vinyl records were stacked throughout the venue, all obtained via what XA’s Lalka Morales called “a record drive-by”—a trip to warehouses and record shops in and around Williamsburg.
XA worked with Glorious Food to create two menus for the evening—Asian and Italian—inspired by the takeout choices of the show’s protagonist, but with far more upscale results. With most guests arriving from the performance at the same time, the well-stocked buffets had considerable lines for much of the evening.
On a platform in front of the stage, DJ Chucky Brown, known for his own encyclopedic record collection, spun classic pop tunes from the past three decades that got partygoers of all ages dancing. (The eclectic mix included Toni Basil’s “Mickey” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”) In fact, even as the crowd thinned toward the end of the evening, several tables had to be moved out of the way to accommodate the revelers.
—Jeff Long
Posted 12.12.06
XA worked with Glorious Food to create two menus for the evening—Asian and Italian—inspired by the takeout choices of the show’s protagonist, but with far more upscale results. With most guests arriving from the performance at the same time, the well-stocked buffets had considerable lines for much of the evening.
On a platform in front of the stage, DJ Chucky Brown, known for his own encyclopedic record collection, spun classic pop tunes from the past three decades that got partygoers of all ages dancing. (The eclectic mix included Toni Basil’s “Mickey” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”) In fact, even as the crowd thinned toward the end of the evening, several tables had to be moved out of the way to accommodate the revelers.
—Jeff Long
Posted 12.12.06
XA rented and bought vintage furniture to create lounge areas among the dining tables, jibing with the urban bachelor-pad feel of the show’s set.
The main floor space mixed lounge areas, buffets, and square tables with linens and chairs that matched the yellow and black of the show’s logo.
The tabletops for the buffet stations were recycled wooden doors covered with rock-and-roll stickers and held up by milk crates filled with vinyl records.
Vintage T-shirts covered high tables.
Celebrity guests (including Alec Baldwin, Hope Davis, and Lauren Bacall) and cast members had their photo ops in front of a panel covered with posters, graffiti, znd High Fidelity logos near the venue’s entrance.
