Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, and More Toasted George Clooney on Good Night, and Good Luck’s Opening Night
“You made me cry,” Kaia Gerber told George Clooney (as a compliment!) at the opening of Good Night, and Good Luck, a stage adaptation of the 2005 film of the same name, on Thursday night. The model, along with her parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, was among the superstars who turned up in New York to support Clooney’s highly anticipated Broadway debut and first live theater appearance, period, in 40 years. Clooney, who directed the film and co-wrote its Oscar-nominated screenplay with his longtime producing partner Grant Heslov, returns to the material as co-writer.
Good Night, and Good Luck recounts the real-life story of CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow (portrayed by Clooney) and his 1950s on-air showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy. The play also chronicles a time in American history when truth and journalistic integrity stood up to fearmongering—and won. The production is directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer, and Clooney is joined by an ensemble that includes Ilana Glazer, Clark Gregg, and Fran Kranz.
Prior to the performance, Clooney’s famous pals and former co-stars caused a standstill outside the Winter Garden Theatre, as hundreds of fans gathered for a glimpse of the night’s glamorous attendees. On the red carpet, Clooney’s 1998 Out of Sight co-lead Jennifer Lopez made a jaw-dropping entrance in a white ruffled cape by Saiid Kobeisy that rested on Lopez’s shoulders and billowed over a strapless black velvet gown. Other showgoers included Hugh Jackman, Drew Barrymore (who starred with Clooney in the 2004 film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely, Kylie Minogue, Uma Thurman, Jim Parsons, and Lucas Bravo, who appeared in the 2022 rom-com Ticket to Paradise with Clooney.
“George always shows up for his friends, and he has a mentality of leaving no man behind,” Bravo told Vogue on the red carpet. “He wants people to be seen, heard, and happy.”
Fittingly, many of America’s top broadcast journalists also gathered at the show. From Gayle King, George Stephanopoulos, and Jake Tapper to Lesley Stahl, Rachel Maddow, and Chris Wallace, they marveled at Clooney’s sincere dramatization of Murrow’s tangles with McCarthy and gave Clooney a standing ovation at the end of the program.
Following the curtain call, guests moseyed down to the landmark New York Public Library for an opulent, black-and-white-themed after-party. A classic jazz ensemble provided a mid-century sensibility as impeccably dressed partygoers sipped on Champagne and martinis and were treated to lobster rolls, mini cheeseburger sliders, and cherry tomato tartines.
Clooney was the first of his cast members to arrive. (He was out solo, as his wife, Amal, stayed behind with their seven-year-old twins.) Guests immediately swarmed him, showering the actor with praise. (To Kaia’s compliment, Clooney charmingly replied, “I’ve seen your play, and now you’ve seen mine,” referring to her performance in Will Arbery’s Evanston Salt Costs Climbing at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this year.)
“What I most admire about George is that he’s still willing to take risks and not rest on his laurels,” Cindy Crawford told Vogue at the party. “Obviously, he’s a huge movie star, and he didn’t have to put himself out there to do a Broadway play, and also a play with a point of view that really aligns with his personal political views. I think in this day and age, that takes a lot of courage.”