Wednesday evening, Gael Greene and her husband Steven invited me to join them for dinner at a new restaurant, called Spotlight Live! located at 1604 Broadway, on the corner of 49 Street and Broadway in New York City. That night happened to have been it's pre-opening for friends and family, it opened officially to the public on Friday evening. Now, you might wonder what relevance a place in NYC has for folks in the Hamptons, so listen up, and I'll tell you. Imagine that you can perform on Broadway, in front of a live audience, with trained back-up singers. Your performance will be streamed live over the internet, thanks to Comcast, where people from all over the world will be able to see you on their computers at home on www.spotlight.com. Simultaneously, your performance will be broadcast over a Jumbotron, located on Times Square right outside the restaurant, where your performance will be seen by passersby. So there you will be, singing your heart out on Broadway, and every share house on the East End, will be watching and voting from their seaside barbecues in the Hamptons!
The restaurant, four floors and 23,000 sq. ft. in the heart of Times Square, features groundbreaking technology that was created exclusively for Spotlive Live. Inside, there are two stages, one was originally created by and for magician David Copperfield. The tables, which surround them, each have their own computers from which the audience can vote as well as connect with other audience members. A behind-the-scenes green room helps prep performers for their star turn, offering backstage advice from choreographers as well as professional hair and make-up artists. For those interested in keeping their performances private, Spotlight Live features a private party space for 100 guests.
Chef Kerry Simon, dubbed by Rolling Stone Magazine as the "Rock 'n Roll Chef," has created a whimsical menu of what he terms "comfort food." For starters you can get "Central Park" Pigs in a Blanket with spicy mustard and relish and French Onion Dip with homemade potato chips. Entrees include pretzel crusted pork chops with sweet potato mash and spaghetti and meatballs with cheese garlic bread. There are also plenty of other things on the menu for more sophisticated palettes like tuna tartar, spiced Asian soy and citrus glazed baby back ribs, or a salad of Belgian endive, watercress, candied walnuts, Fuji apples, and blue cheese in a white wine vinaigrette. If your taste runs closer to all American, there are delightful iron chef mini burgers and fries, onion rings, mini tomato soup with mini grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese.
The desserts are comprised of Cotton Candy, Spotlight cupcakes reminiscent of Hostess cupcakes, make-your-own-sundaes and snow cones. "My approach is to create an inventive and memorable menu with my own spin on American comfort food." Said the handsome young chef, "The idea is prepare food that people love to eat while enjoying the Spotlight Live experience."
And what exactly is that experience? When guests enter their photos are uploaded onto the interactive system, offering access to all guest profiles and enabling everyone to communicate through the system's instant messaging service. Touch screens will display voting results throughout the performances and also feature comments from viewers. Friends and family at home can get into the act, and guests will have the option to record their performances on CD or DVD.
Former film executive-turned-restaurant mogul, Jennifer Worthington said, "I wanted to give people the opportunity to experience stardom. At Spotlight Live," continued the former film exec, "you'll be the entertainment."
So polish up your acts East Enders, Schwabs Drugstore has re-invented itself, and you might be discovered over those mini-burgers and fries and sundaes while all the rest of us applaud you from our computers. I guess it's just a matter of time before we get our own, Spotlight Live! Hamptons. Till then starlets, Broadway awaits!
