The Richard Rogers Theater at this moment is so different, in a trance, it seems to have come to the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, but when you think about it, it is unique.

For the simple reason that this premiere night did not take place in the evening, but in the early afternoon. Because Les Misérables is six hours long, and like London's West End, it will be split into the first and second halves, so the red carpet for the opening night begins at 1:30 p.m.

The scorching midday sun penetrates the steel forest over New York City, sparsely spilling down, making people unable to open their eyes, and the surging heat wave is almost about to burn the skin.

This premiere night, in a unique and offbeat way, has left its mark on Broadway history.

Standing on the red carpet, Paul Walker only felt like he was in a steamer, steaming all over his body, and, in order to comply with theater etiquette, the suit shirt was the standard with a tie, and the whole person was airtight, and now the whole back was wet with sweat.

"Paul, are you okay? You look like you're doing a sauna in Finland right now. After the meeting, the reporter's first question was so beautiful and refined, and the joyful atmosphere of the scene can be seen. However, before Paul could reply, the reporter exclaimed again, "Ryan, you ...... Just came out of the pool?"

Paul turned his head suddenly, and then he saw Ryan, who was sweating profusely, and he looked even more embarrassed than him, which really made people laugh.

Ryan stuck out his tongue and gasped, "It's okay, I'm okay." Once you enter the theater, everything is fine. It was definitely worth it to see a wonderful play, and I was fully prepared before I set off and couldn't wait to see it. ”

"When the show was staged in London, I was never able to see it in person due to schedule conflicts, which is a pity. Now I can finally make up for it, and I'm happy. Ryan said with a smile on his face, and then changed sharply, "Lan Li, you know now what a rare friend I am, right? For the sake of me working so hard to promote, how about it, can you reserve two seats in the box for me next week?"

Slightly stunned, all the reporters burst into laughter.

The friendship between Paul, Ryan and Lan Li is indeed enviable, so a reporter took the opportunity to ask, "Paul, are you attending today's premiere night with Ryan specifically to show your support for Lan Li?"

Paul was stunned slightly. Actually, he was going to bring his daughter Meadow Ryan to the premiere night today, but Meadow refused.

First, because Meadow did not want to be exposed to the media spotlight on the opening night, preferring to choose a time to come and watch it alone in a low-key manner, and secondly, because Meadow had already watched the play with Paul in London before, and this time, she wanted to watch it with her friends.

In the end, a sad Paul had no choice but to go alone.

However, Lan Li suggested that Paul could go with Ryan, as his romance with Eva Mendes remains low-key and will also be alone today. So, the two of them got together.

Now, in the face of such a sudden question from the reporter, Paul was stunned, and he didn't answer for a while, but Ryan was more witty and interjected, "Please don't misunderstand our friendship, I have already broken off my friendship with Lan Li when the ice bucket challenge roll call." As for Paul, he is a lost lamb and I am trying to guide him back to the right path. ”

A simple humorous joke, and all the reporters collectively laughed.

But that's the end of the interview, because the superstars who arrived one after another were endless, which made people overwhelmed.

Surprisingly, the number of fellow actors showed up far less than expected, with Jennifer Lawrence not showing, Alexander Skarsgård not showing, Jake Gyllenhaal not showing, Scarlett Johansson not showing, and the Hollywood stars who were all in the air during the Ice Bucket Challenge before are extremely low-key today.

Later, it was Andrew Garfield who broke the ground and said, "Line up." ”

"Emma was going to come with me to see the premiere, but unfortunately there was no place in the VIP box. This is not something that Lan Li can control, nor is it something that the theater can control, it can only be said that the seats for today's performance are really too sought-after. Andrew said with a smile on his face, "I am lucky, in order to watch this play, I have already made a good greeting a month ago, and Lan Li specially reserved a ticket for me." ”

As Andrew said, a ticket to the opening night has become a show-off capital for high-level people from all walks of life in the United States, just like the Oscar night held by "Vanity Fair", the party itself is not important, but the attendance qualification is a kind of recognition in the industry.

Now, everyone is chasing a VIP box seat on Les Misérables premiere night to try to prove that they are on the trend and in a high position.

Take a look at Hollywood's attendance list:

Steven Spielberg, Barry Meyer, Meryl Streep, Scott Rudin, Frank Marshall, Emma Thompson, Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, and Harvey Weinstein.

To this list are Paul Walker, Ryan Gosling and Andrew Garfield. In this comparison, the meaning of Andrew's words suddenly became clear.

Everyone is eager to attend the opening night, but not everyone gets the chance, and after missing the first wave, they have to choose the second day, the third day, and then come back to watch it, so as not to fall behind the times.

It's hard to get a ticket, not only for ordinary audiences, but also for Hollywood's top elites.

Still, the red carpet on opening night was star-studded, truly celebrity-staggered, even compared to the Oscar red carpet, with top names from all walks of life arriving outside of Hollywood.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is one of them, along with Apple's current CEO Tim Cook, the presence of these two Silicon Valley giants, plus Sequoia Ventures' top executive Michael Moritz (Michael-Moritz) is also on the guest list tonight, making it undoubtedly the best representative of Silicon Valley.

The presence of John-Mara, owner of the New York Giants of the NFL — who is Rooney Mara's uncle, Kobe-Bryant, the world's No. 1 model Giselle Bundchen, and the new generation of socialites on New York's Upper East Side, Olivia-Palermo — is just the beginning, representing the attention of different industries.

In addition, there are more unfamiliar faces of entertainment reporters, who can't even shout their names, and can only learn from the mouths of social reporters, financial reporters, political/political reporters and other colleagues, from real estate tycoons to Wall Street upstarts, from emerging painters to new favorites in the fashion industry, from piano masters to famous European conductors, from Russian ballet giants to London theater bigwigs......

Behind those unfamiliar faces, there is a lot of weight, which makes people feel the madness and heat of the premiere night in all aspects.

At that time, the opening night in London's West End was thick and long, and the guest list revealed professional and classical, whether it was a well-established aristocrat or a famous actor, all aspects were closely related to the theater, and now, the opening night on Broadway is much thinner, more like the scene of a variety talk show than the stage of a play.

But, that's the difference between the U.S. and the U.K., and the difference between the West End and Broadway. People don't like it, perhaps, but it's real, and it's happening.

More importantly, the "copper smell" in the eyes of artists has bloomed on the North American continent, and the heritage of Broadway is not as deep as that of the West End, but the heritage of Broadway is longer than that of the West End. At least from a profitability and survival perspective, Broadway has more opportunities. Because of this, the repertoire that succeeds in the West End, in the final analysis, will still go to Broadway.

The same is true of "Les Miserables".

These differences aside, no one can deny that the opening night at the Richard Rogers Theatre was a huge success, with the top celebrities in the VIP boxes blowing the buzz, the 100% attendance of the general audience igniting enthusiasm, and the tireless and persevering enthusiastic fans waiting at the theater door to cheer on.

According to the New York Post, "This is a party bigger than 'Edge of Tomorrow', like the most important stage for the upper class since 2012." Everyone dressed up to show off their appearance and posture gracefully, trying to prove their artistic quality and rich heritage again. ”

This is not a negative mockery, but a positive affirmation, and the essence of the premiere night is outlined in just a few words: the current Lan Li Hall has broken away from the ranks of ordinary actors and is moving to the next level and grade. In particular, the family background of the hereditary aristocracy has become a halo above the head, which makes people flock to it.

However, whether in London or New York, the success or failure of a play depends on the hands of critics, not celebrities.

After receiving countless accolades in London, expectations are rising, and now on Broadway, "Les Miserables" also needs to be put to the test, and in the eyes of the critical, demanding, sharp and difficult critics, those celebrities do not seem to be a good start, but a minus.

When the opening night was over, all eyes were on it, and the word-of-mouth of a play had sparked so much attention and discussion like never before. Well, "Les Miserables" won the love of the British, and what about the Americans?