Sarah Jessica Parker discovered an unusual perk that came with starring as Broadway’s Annie at age 14 – entrance to the most exclusive nightclub in New York City back in 1979.
‘We were regulars at Studio 54, which makes absolutely no sense,’ the 60-year-old former child star recalled to Vulture on Monday.
‘We would just walk around, mouths agape.’
Sarah continued: ‘But we were also very normal kids. At a place called Joe G Pizza, with $5 I could get a slice and a drink and I still had about $4 left for the arcade. It had a stand with nuts, candies, Skee-Ball and pinball. My nickname became Pinball Parker.’
Parker portrayed the orphan July and understudied Annie in 1978 before headlining the plum part from 1979-1980 at the Alvin Theatre (renamed the Neil Simon Theatre) in Midtown Manhattan.
In 2021, the two-time Emmy winner posted a rare snap of herself at Studio 54 posing with none other than The Wizard of Oz alum Ray Bulger.
Sarah Jessica Parker discovered an unusual perk that came with starring as Broadway’s Annie at age 14 – entrance to the most exclusive nightclub in New York City back in 1979 (pictured in 1979)
The 60-year-old former child star recalled to Vulture on Monday: ‘We were regulars at Studio 54, which makes absolutely no sense. We would just walk around, mouths agape’ (pictured February 26)
‘Forever ago. I was Annie at the time. He was the Scarecrow, decades before. We were at a party at Studio 54,’ Sarah – who boasts 9.8M Instagram followers – captioned her throwback.
‘I’ve no recollection why. But it doesn’t matter. Ray Bolger. And I danced with him. Thank you @sashacharninmorrison for sending my way. I’m grateful and happy to be reminded and remember.’
In 2017, Sarah reunited with the original Broadway Annie – Andrea McArdle – alongside 17 other former Annies where she said they went to Studio 54 ‘all the time.’
‘We would all go,’ the 61-year-old Tony nominee told Inside Edition.
‘Right next to us would be Bianca Jagger, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol. We were 13.’
Celebrities were usually allowed to enter the hedonistic hotspot immediately along with ‘very beautiful’ patrons while other members of the general public were dubbed ‘no goods’ by co-owner Steve Rubell, who made the final decision at the door.
Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin reportedly worked as a waiter for two months at Studio 54 while Dynasty alum Al Corley was employed as a doorman during the late 1970s.
Guests were said to engage in open sexual activity on the balcony and VIP basement as well as consuming an excess of cocaine and quaaludes at the club open from 10pm-6am.
The hey-day of Studio 54 lasted less than three years as Rubell and co-owner Ian Schrager were put in prison for tax evasion for skimming $2.5M (60% of profits) of the receipts in 1980, but the pair were paroled after just a year (Schrager received a Presidential Pardon in 2017).
Sarah portrayed the orphan July and understudied Annie in 1978 before headlining the plum part from 1979-1980 at the Alvin Theatre in Midtown Manhattan (pictured with Bob Hope)
In 2021, the two-time Emmy winner posted a rare snap of herself at Studio 54 posing with none other than The Wizard of Oz alum Ray Bulger (R)
Parker captioned her throwback: ‘Forever ago. I was Annie at the time. He was the Scarecrow, decades before. We were at a party at Studio 54. I’ve no recollection why. But it doesn’t matter. Ray Bolger. And I danced with him’
In 2017, Sarah reunited with the original Broadway Annie – Andrea McArdle (not pictured) – alongside 17 other former Annies where she said they went to Studio 54 ‘all the time’
The 61-year-old Tony nominee (R) told Inside Edition: ‘We would all go. Right next to us would be Bianca Jagger, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol. We were 13’
Celebrities were usually allowed to enter the hedonistic hotspot immediately along with ‘very beautiful’ patrons while other members of the general public were dubbed ‘no goods’ by co-owner Steve Rubell (L, pictured in 1979), who made the final decision at the door
Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin reportedly worked as a waiter for two months at Studio 54 while Dynasty alum Al Corley was employed as a doorman during the late 1970s
Guests were said to engage in open sexual activity on the balcony and VIP basement as well as consuming an excess of cocaine and quaaludes at the club open from 10pm-6am (Diana Ross pictured squatting on the DJ booth)
The hey-day of Studio 54 lasted less than three years as Rubell (M, pictured with attorney Roy Cohn at court) and co-owner Ian Schrager were put in prison for tax evasion for skimming $2.5M of the receipts in 1980, but the pair were paroled after just a year
Parker will next executive produce and reprise her role as wealthy widowed author Carrie Bradshaw in the third season of Michael Patrick King’s SATC continuation And Just Like That, which premieres this summer on Max
Parker will next executive produce and reprise her role as wealthy widowed author Carrie Bradshaw in the third season of Michael Patrick King’s SATC continuation And Just Like That, which premieres this summer on Max.
In the season two finale, Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) informed Carrie he needed a five-year break from her in order to focus on his troubled teenage son after she sold her beloved West Village apartment to fit his three sons.
Variety reported that the SJP Collection founder, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis all earned $10M paychecks to executive produce and star in season one, but it’s unclear if they’ve since received raises.
