“It’s very good practice for them,” said Sturm. “Ellen gives them a job and is happy to welcome them back, too” said Barbarino, who says scores of Ellen’s employees have gone on to perform on Broadway. Stephen YangĮllen’s talent director and former actor Scott Barbarino delights in the diner’s reputation for not only helping launch careers, but in welcoming newcomers to the city who hope to someday see their name in lights on the Great White Way. Stephen Yang Nicole Calkins is one of the many talented servers at Stardust Diner. Patrick Pevehaus (left), Cat Yates, Brandi Chavonne Massey, and Nicole Calkins are seen at Stardust Diner. Returning visitors will find “more show-stopping moments” on the menu,” Kazhdan said, including kid-friendly Fruity Pebbles and Dunkaroos pancakes, breakfast all day long, and a refurbished interior highlighting its classic 1950s retro decor. She will be working the diner when the doors reopen next month. The New Jersey resident still returns to serve, and sing, at Ellen’s between acting engagements.
“It’s the perfect place to go between gigs, practice your craft and make a little money.” “Ellen’s is a community within a community,” said Massey. The re-opening of Stardust is a sign that better days are ahead, said actress Brandi Massey, who began working at the diner in 2004 and went on to perform in Broadway hits “Wicked” and “The Color Purple.” Brandi Massey still comes in from New Jersey to serve food and sing. “If sales were strong, they’d be sure to let everyone know,” the source said. The reports abruptly ended when Broadway closed with the COVID outbreak in March 2020 and have not been updated since. The Broadway League website shows box office receipts peaked at nearly $56 million during the last week of 2019, before trailing off early in 2020, as is usual in the New Year. The COVID outbreak that briefly shut down production of “Aladdin” last week, among a crew that was reportedly 100 percent vaccinated against the virus, shows other hurdles await. Ticket sales so far “are disappointing,” one Broadway insider told The Post, citing the lack of data coming out of box offices. Sturm’s idea to mix show tunes with classic diner fare made the eatery one of Midtown’s most popular tourist destinations.
The re-opening of Ellen’s is a sign of much-needed new life as Broadway, a high-profile barometer of the city’s overall vitality, battles to win back theater-goers amid continuing COVID concerns and a vaccine mandate that limits the potential audience. But with no theaters operating and few if any tourists in town, the effort was short-lived. “A lot of people can’t afford a Broadway show, but they can afford to eat here and get a real Broadway experience,” said general manager Joe Kazhdan. Pre-pandemic two-hour waits at the corner of Broadway and West 51st attested to its appeal. Visiting Ellen’s is magic,” boasted namesake owner Ellen Hart Sturm, 80, the former New York City beauty queen whose idea to mix show tunes with classic diner fare made the eatery one of Midtown’s most popular tourist destinations. ‘Out of touch’: Dems mocked for featuring ‘Hamilton’ cast in ceremony marking Capitol riotĭavid Alan Grier talks comedy and stagecraft with Jalen RoseĮllen’s Stardust Diner is poised to re-open in November – more than 18 months since its world-famous singing waitstaff performed before a packed room of tourists noshing on “ruby” Ruebens or sipping salted caramel milkshakes. Hugh Jackman returns to ‘Music Man’ on Broadway after COVID quarantine
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