Goodspeed Honors Chenoweth, Hoffmans

Actress Kristin Chenoweth may not have been able to travel to Connecticut to receive a special award from the Goodspeed theater Saturday, but she knew everything that was going on, right down to what was being served for dinner thanks to actor Alan Cumming.

Cumming, a well-known stage and screen star  who plays political maverick Eli Gold on the television show “The Good Wife,” not only served as honorary chair of the gala at The Riverhouse in Haddam, but tweeted the whole evening to make sure his friend and nearly co-star, knew what she was missing and how she was being honored.

“She really is hurt,” said Cumming, noting that Chenoweth has had to cancel a lot of plans including her trip to the Goodspeed after being injured on the set of “The Good Wife” several weeks ago. She was hospitalized after a lighting slip fell on top of her. The Emmy and Tony award-winning actress’s injuries are serious enough that she will not be appearing on “The Good Wife” as planned, he said.

Cumming, who accepted “The Goodspeed Award For Outstanding Musical Contribution to Musical Theater” on her behalf, said her part on the television series as a nosy reporter has been recast.

More than 200 people turned out for the event that featured Andrew Lippa as master of ceremonies and included another prestigious award, the first in the theater’s history.

The Hoffman Auto Group was presented the Goodspeed Arts Business Partnership Award with Atty. Peter Kelly making the presentation.

“The Goodspeed and the Hoffman business share a lot in common,” said Jeffrey Hoffman, who wore eye-catching sneakers with his tux to accommodate a still-mending broken foot. “We are both dedicated to customer service and to quality,” he said before accepting the award.

And in true Jeffrey Hoffman style added with a grin, “And I owe everything to my wife, make sure you write that.”

Other guests included famed gossip columnist Liz Smith and television journalist and anchor Cynthia McFadden.

Java, of course, could not stay away from Smith.

The secret to the success of the woman who for years was the “go to” read in the New York Post and who is now featured on several online websites including her newest one, newyorksocialdiary.com?

“People trust me and they like me,” said the sage 89-year-old writer.

MacFadden, an ABC anchor and correspondent, waded in on the future of journalism emphasizing that while the way news is delivered may change, the idea of spreading the news never will.

As long as people want to know stories, there will have to be people to tell the stories,” she said. The way stories are delivered may change, but the fact that there has to be journalists to deliver those stories will not.”

For more gala pictures go to: http://cour.at/OmI1Ak