Tragic death of Hayden Panettiere is a reminder of the dark side of Hollywood

The death of Hayden Panettiere this week brought back an old memory.Years ago a Hollywood and Broadway celebrity friend invited me to a Beverly Hills party.Big-time home.

Major names.Adjoining the party giver’s own deep brown leather chairs was a large wooden table.

On it a wide dish piled with goodies.Major names periodically dipped into it.I figured it’s candy.

My friend told me not to dip in.It was an open bowlful of drugs.Reading about Panettiere, it’s mentioned that in Hollywood you can get whatever you want while you’re on a set.

As you work, you can swallow, partake, ingest, take whatever’s your choice.Yeah.True.

How do I know? Because I saw it myself.“Music City.” A new musical but a longtime project.Begun 13 years ago and now playing to jammed audiences at St.

Luke’s Theatre.Nine in the cast.“I was involved from the very beginning,” said this involvee, being actor Jonathan Judge-Russo, who explained: “It’s three of us from very beginning.

From the original days.We’re country music performers.

Resilient onstage.We keep coming back even after the bulls —t.” Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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Is it doing well?“We’re selling out.Tickets available through November.

Seats are $59 to $166 and the venue’s packed.We even built a bar in the theater and added drinks and snacks.

The company is nine of us including musicians.“So how are we doing? Let’s say the producers are taking care of us but we’re not driving sports cars yet.”Happens I know that co-producers Gabrielle Palitz and Francine LeFrak definitely know about driving sports cars.“We’re playing to packed audiences — but it’s had its inharmonies.We first tried out 12 years ago.

West Side venue.So crummy a place that the experience was rough.

The audience include...