As for his acting abilities, “He is immediate and alive all the time. You can always depend on that. Kieran is terrific and all the acclaim he’s getting [is well deserved]. He’s a great person too.”
Culkin made his Broadway debut in the 2014 production of Kenneth Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth opposite Michael Cera. Lonergan and his wife, J. Smith-Cameron, who portrayed general counsel to Waystar Royco Gerri Kellman on Succession, both attended Glengarry’s opening night as well. “He’s the most released, freest actor I have ever worked with,” Smith-Cameron said on the red carpet. “He can just be unleashed—it’s the opposite of me, and I really admire it.”
Jesse Eisenberg, who directed and co-starred with Culkin in A Real Pain, added to the chorus, telling Vogue that Culkin is “the most unpretentious performer—often to his own determinant” before making his way into the Palace.
Among the other guests who braved the weather to see Culkin, Burr, and Odenkirk perform on Monday night were Cynthia Erivo, Chris Pine, Adam Scott, Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, David Schwimmer, Tony Goldwyn, Molly Ringwald, and Cynthia Nixon. Joined by her wife, Christine Marinoni, the Sex and the City star—no stranger to the Broadway stage herself—was in a reflective mood, waxing poetic about the importance of live theater in these fractious post-pandemic years. “What I really didn’t understand until the pandemic hit was how much I enjoy experiencing the theater together with a whole audience of people all experiencing the same thing,” she said.
Following the crowd-pleasing performance, the opening night celebration continued with a lavish afterparty held at Tao Downtown, a sprawling and multi-level Asian-fusion restaurant where Katie Holmes made the rounds, while Claire Danes was spotted sitting on the steps underneath the restaurant’s prominent Buddha statue with her long time pal Gaby Hoffmann, deep in conversation. Across the room, Darren Criss, currently starring in the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending, socialized with some guests as they noshed on sushi rolls and cheeseburger sliders; and Chris Rock made a late appearance and chatted with a friend. Around 11 p.m., Odenkirk was at the bar, celebrating his Broadway debut with his family by raising their drinks for a toast.
Culkin, dressed in a colorful and fuzzy cardigan, arrived at the bash around 11:30 p.m., at which point he made a beeline for Lonergan. (Eventually, they were joined by Smith-Cameron and Culkin’s wife, Jazz Charton.) More well-wishers greeted Culkin with hugs and kisses and a group of friends even persuaded him to indulge in an alcoholic beverage. Culkin plugged his nose with one hand while quickly gulping it down.
He then met up with Snook and the two laughed and posed for selfies together. Later, Snook showed him the colorful beaded bracelets on her right wrist, which he compared with his own. “I feel really good,” he could be heard saying to Snook with a smile. “It’s been the best night.”
