Last night, Anna Wintour helped to ring in Baz Luhrmann’s 60th birthday with an evening that could best be described as Luhrmannian. The venue? The Nines, the leopard-carpeted piano bar on Great Jones Street. The guest list? His former leading men and ladies, including Hugh Jackman (Australia), Claire Danes (Romeo + Juliet), and Olivia DeJonge (Elvis)—plus generally fabulous individuals such as his wife, Catherine Martin; Florence Welch; Dita von Teese; and many more.
Guests arrived at The Nines around 9 PM, as cocktails and miniature versions of the spot’s caviar baked potatoes circulated the room. A couple of the first to arrive were Brooklyn Beckham and his wife, Nicola Peltz; soon after that, the likes of Vera Wang (shimmering in silver), Jeremy O. Harris (in a velvet take on white tie), and Jordan Roth waltzed in. Roth, the president of Jujamcyn Theaters, which produced Moulin Rouge! The Musical after Luhrmann’s iconic film, arrived in an ensemble that paid homage to several of the director’s greatest hits. “The hair is Elvis, the coat is Moulin Rouge!” he explained. Nearby, two partygoers wore exactly the same Paco Rabbane dress (one in silver, the other gold), and Bee Carrozini shone in red sequins. The dress code was gloriously open-ended—just “Dress Up!”—but the crowd knew that dressing up for Baz meant something with pizzazz: showgirl meets ringmaster and a lot of drama!
Lurhmann’s 60th birthday followed the release of his latest film, Elvis, a celebrated addition to his singular oeuvre; premiering at Cannes earlier this summer, the rock-’n-roll romp received a 12-minute standing ovation.
As Craig Pearce, a lifelong friend and collaborator of Luhrmann’s, told the group at last night’s party, it’s Luhrmann’s distinct vision that sets him apart. “I’ve never met anyone as courageous as Baz, and with an almost superhuman capacity for tenacity to follow an idea through,” said Pearce, who worked with the director on Romeo + Juliet. “Through thick and through thin, through hurricanes, floods, and metaphorical fires, but always with a heart so big that you bring all of us with you.”
And with that, suddenly, the piano was occupied and actors from the current production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Derek Klena, Tasia Jungbauer, Jeigh Madjus, and Jessica Lee Goldyn) appeared. As they opened with “Lady Marmalade,” the room began to sway and clap. Next came a special performance of “One Day I’ll Fly Away,” which is not part of the Broadway musical but was so rivetingly sung by Nicole Kidman in the film that it needed its moment. Finally, Klena and Lee Goldyn closed things off with “Elephant Love Medley,” and the room was thrown into a tizzy singing along to the mashup. (Special mentions go to Welch and Harris for really getting into the spirit.) The final song? “Happy Birthday,” which was accompanied by a giant cake emblazoned with 6-0 and sparklers that shone almost as brightly as the man of the hour.
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