The Scene: Thursday night’s premiere of “Who’s...

The Scene: Thursday night’s premiere of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at the Doolittle Theatre in Hollywood. It was also the season opener for the Center Theatre Group, which has been displaced from its usual home at the Ahmanson by “Phantom of the Opera.” Guests had to arrive at the Doolittle by 6:30 to pick up their tickets, which gave them plenty of time to check out the newly painted facade (which makes the theater look a little bit less like an unfinished furniture outlet), and to risk the usual pre-theater flash bulb and sequined abrasion. Afterward, there was a party at the nearby Columbia Bar & Grill. Guests had the option of driving the three blocks to the restaurant, or walking down Sunset Boulevard at 10:45 p.m. dressed in tuxedoes and gowns. Most drove.

The Buzz: Everyone seemed palpably enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing “Virginia Woolf” directed by the playwright, Edward Albee, with Glenda Jackson and John Lithgow in the lead roles. Beyond that there was a more pragmatic question to ponder: Would guests be in a party mood after sitting through 3 1/2 hours of drama?

Who Was There: The play’s stars Jackson, Lithgow, Brian Kerwin, and Cynthia Nixon; playwright Albee; and a love boat’s worth of TV stars, including Jane Alexander, Kirstie Alley and Parker Stevenson, artist Don Bachardy, Gene Barry, Lloyd Bridges, Lois Chiles, Robert Culp, Tim Curry, Barbara Eden, Tony Franciosa, Earl Holliman, Michele Lee, Gavin MacLeod, Lee Meriweather, Louis Nye, Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson, Natalie Schafer, William Shatner, Jonathan Silverman, Peter Strauss, Brenda Vaccaro, Joan Van Ark, Leslie Ann Warren, and Stephanie Zimbalist.

Dress Code: Invitations specified black tie, and most guests complied, more or less. At least there were no shorts or fanny packs in the crowd.

Noted: “Virginia Woolf” is a hot ticket. Scalping agencies sell the tickets at premium prices along with their usual stock of U2 and Cure tickets. Perhaps that was why there was a line of several dozen people outside, all dressed in black tie, waiting in hopes of a cancellation.

Chow: Grilled chicken, steak, tortellini, rice, vegetables, salad, brownies, coffee, and more, all of it very good.

Quoted: At the party, John Lithgow was surrounded by well-wishers, while he vainly tried to get a bite to eat in edgewise. “Boy, I knew we were good, but I didn’t know we were that good,” he said after the hundredth congratulation. “If I had known Arthur Hill (who originated the role on Broadway) was in the audience, I never would have gone on.”

Triumphs: The CTG has always been plagued with the problem of trying to find nearby restaurants for its after parties. It looks like it may have found a winner in the Columbia Bar & Grill, which managed to be both proximate and quite skilled at keeping several hundred play-goers happy.

Glitches: All in all not a bad first run for the restaurant, but the lack of enough tables and a very crowded bar kept guests eating and drinking on their feet most of the night. By the time of the next party, the Columbia Bar & Grill should have everything all worked out.