Flowers and Theatre

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A floral celebration!

This past week, Starbright Floral Design, in conjunction with the Marriott Marquis Hotel in the heart of Times Square, held a fabulous event for their clients, friends and business colleagues, celebrating 30 years as one of New York’s most original and creative florists. From a gorgeous floral wall, to a “flower bar” with flowers from all continents, Nic Faitos, Stephen Faitos and team created a feast for the eyes from nature’s bounty.

Being a big fan of this family run business, I want to congratulate them on their long run and publicly say how much I love their products and services. Starbright is part of the fabric of New York, as their flowers and designs are not only embedded in the hospitality, theatre, and corporate industries of the city, but also they provide stellar customer service to individual clients.  It is just wonderful to see the owners and staff of Starbright so in love with New York!! They are innovators in creativity and entrepreneurship in a challenging world.


Road trip to Boston.

Also, this past week, I and some pals cruised up 1-95 to see a play and spend a night in Boston. The play, The Lehman Trilogy at the Huntington Theatre, stars three incredible actors, including Steven Skybell, who took New York by storm playing Tevye in Yiddish, in the most recent production of Fiddler on the Roof. In addition to Steven, Joshua David Robinson and Firdous Bamji round out the trio of actors playing the Lehman Brothers, depicting their journey from Bavaria to the US, and the family’s path to the final destruction of the financial institution in 2008. I missed the play on Broadway, so I was happy to see this production in Boston. The direction, the set design and the acting are superb and despite the play being 3 hours and 35 minutes with two intermissions, I was riveted to the story. Written by Stefano Massini, and adapted by Ben Power, Carey Perloff’s direction is spot on. The Huntington is a beautifully restored theatre, with comfortable seats and roomy rows and aisles.

Good news-the run has been extended to July 23. Not only is it worth the trip to see this production, but wow, Boston is just amazing.

Beautiful, with great restaurants, and CLEAN (hello New York City Mayor’s office!!) I was astonished at just how lovely the city is. It’s been years since I have been there, so I felt like I was enjoying the town with new eyes. From the stunning harbor area to the cool Back Bay, Boston (for the moment) is my new favorite city.

 

Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.

Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.

Valerie Smaldone

Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer. Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.

1 Response

  1. July 14, 2023

    […] head to Green Room 42 for a night of fabulous music.  And a piano festival is coming to town. Valerie Smaldone celebrates flowers and a play in Boston. It’s fundraising season in the Hampton’s and Randie […]

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