 |
|
|
|||
|
Interviews
|
|||
|
|
Legendary Pictures - and Food Philip Fisher meets Max Klimavicius, the owner of Sardi's Restaurant, New York Shows may come and go but one Broadway theatrical institution endures and that is the legendary restaurant Sardi's located on West 44th Street completely surrounded by theatres. The warm atmosphere there oozes friendliness and an aura of theatrical history. On the walls in the public areas are around 1,200 caricatures and latterly portraits of the great and the good of New York theatre. It is also reputedly the birthplace of the Tony Awards. It helps to be introduced to the restaurant by one of its greatest fans, the publicist Irene Gandy, a lady who treats it as a second home and, as practically a member of "the family" after so many years as a customer, is seemingly on first name terms with all of the staff and most of the customers. Two years ago she became one of those 1,200 who grace the restaurant walls. The food is good - in particular the chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis is to die for - and the atmosphere convivial, even on the coldest of January evenings. In his office above the restaurant, surrounded by an eclectic library of books, icons of the establishment and overseen by a paternal portrait of his mentor, the current owner Max Klimavicius, kindly took time out from his busy work schedule to expound the Sardi's ethos and explain how he worked his way from the bottom up to become its President. Klimavicius is the perfect manager of an upmarket leisure establishment, combining good looks with great charm, always having time to talk to his guests and make them feel welcome. As he explains, the original Sardi's, where the St James Theatre now sits, was opened in 1921 by an Italian immigrant couple. Vincent ("a vagabond as a child") and Eugenia Sardi met on Ellis Island, before making their way in the catering industry. After six years, it moved a couple of doors down to the current location, a property owned, like so many Broadway theatres, by the Shubert brothers, and never looked back. In the early days, Vincent Sardi went to a lot of trouble to emphasise that his was "a continental restaurant", since had he used the term Italian, the Mob would have demanded their cut. In fact, he kept out of their clutches with the assistance of an actress (and speakeasy owner), Texas Guinan. What has been Sardi's trademark ever since that move is the growing series of portraits of its habitués. The tradition started in 1927, thanks to a round table of journalists who regularly met there. These included a Russian émigré, Alex Gard from the New Yorker, who happened to have talent as a caricaturist and portrayed his fellows with insightful images that ended up on the walls. He started with Ted Healy who managed The Three Stooges and painted another 700 or so. Now, though, they are deemed of such historical importance that many reside at the New York Library for the Performing Arts. The deal cut with Gard was that he would get paid in kind for the pictures, receiving two meals a day. As part of the contract, it was also agreed that Gard would not criticise the food or Sardi the artwork. In the 84 years since, there have only been four artists, the second of whom had a drink problem and didn't last long. After that came Don Bevan, who doubled as a playwright and wrote the hit play Stalag 17. When he left in 1974 Richard Baratz, who originally trained and still works as an engraver, took on the mantle and, despite moving to Texas, continues to draw the thirty or so portraits that are added each year. The criteria for inclusion are not quite what one might expect. As Klimavicius explains, it is not just a case of star-chasing. In order to get on to the walls, it is necessary to be "A friend of the house, someone who is interested in the arts and is a frequent visitor". There is a formal unveiling ceremony, to which the lucky participants can invite family, friends and, if they choose, the media. The latest are literally sitting around the owner's office and a very flattering picture of Judith Light, currently getting great reviews in Lombardi, had just been completed. Not all of the pictures have proved popular with the sitters, in Klimavicius' words some of the caricatures being really "brutal". It doesn't pay to have a prominent nose! For whatever reason, Gene Barry rejected three before finally being satisfied. Max Klimavicius modestly describes himself as "a mutt". Born in Colombia to a father who was a Lithuanian member of the merchant marine, the youngster went into the catering business by day so that he could pay for studies in the evenings. He arrived at Sardi's in 1974 and gradually built up a close relationship with Vincent Sardi Junior, who took over the reins from his father after returning from war service. By the time that Klimavicius was given the chance to enter into partnership in 1990, paying for his share out of earnings, he regarded Sardi as a kind of surrogate father. When the older man died in January 2007, he got the chance to buy out the rest of the business. This has turned out to be a dream come true. "I am absolutely enjoying it." As he says, "This is not work for me. It is like a club where I meet all my friends. The number of hours doesn't matter". Having said that, he is happily married with two children, which means that it is necessary to get home, at least occasionally. It helps that both he and his wife love the theatre and take every opportunity to pop over the road and indulge their passion. As he enthuses, "there is nothing like live theatre". He goes a great deal further than the average restaurateur in his efforts to make the clientele feel wanted. "I encourage my employees to go to the theatre too. It's their business to know who is who on Broadway and recognise them". While the recession has not been great news, it has hit Sardi's less than some of their rivals. Klimavicius attributes this to the good fortune of drawing from so many different markets. Max Klimavicius is one of the most charming men that you could hope to meet and Sardi's Restaurant a perfect choice for avid theatregoers. Every visitor to New York's Theater District should pay at least one visit, if only for a drink and a chance to see the legendary pictures. The odds are that having done so, the welcome will be so warm that they will return again and again. For those interested in who is, and is not, in the honoured group that have graced Sardi's walls, the following is an incomplete but pretty comprehensive list: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_caricatures_at_Sardi%27s_restaurant
|
||
|
|
