party chat

Zach Galifianakis Goes to the Ballet

Among the arts patrons and socialites at last night’s American Ballet Theater Spring Gala, there appeared a familiar, yet unexpected face: Zach Galifianakis. The slovenly comic was all polished up and wearing a tux, and we sidled up to him at the postshow dinner to find out what the heck he was doing there. “Can’t you tell by looking at me that I’m a ballet fan? Am I not the quintessential ballet gentleman that’s here at this function?†he said. “No, the only reason I came is so that guys like you would ask me, and it would get in the papers and people would go, ‘Oh, that guy is kind of cultured.’†So under his stoner persona he’s really a fine-arts enthusiast? “I very much am,†he said. “You know, you get stuck sitting at home and watching things that embarrass you. It’s nice to get out and feel like you’re kind of rubbing shoulders with the judgmental types,†he continued, admitting, “This thing is probably the highest-end thing I’ve done in the city in a long time.†He briefly reconsidered. “I’ve been to the opera, but I don’t even remember how I got … I don’t even know how I got into this thing, but I got into it, so.†And with that he gave a shrug and turned back to his meal.

Zach Galifianakis Goes to the Ballet