Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Sarah Jessica Parker & More At 'Mary Stuart' Opening (PHOTOS)

The opening night of 'Mary Stuart' at the Broadhurst on Sunday night brought out some of New York's acting royalty to watch Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter play Queens Elizabeth of England and Mary of Scotland.

Liam Neeson came with friend Ralph Fiennes and flashed a big thumbs up to photographers (seen below) at his first public appearance since wife Natasha Richardson's death last month. Sarah Jessica Parker came with husband Matthew Broderick, and Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Jeremy Irons and more all turned out on the red carpet to show their theatrical support.

PHOTOS:

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Liam Neeson with Ralph Fiennes

Comments

[alicetilden]

Can't people see that, even though Liam is smiling, there's no light in his eyes. The poor man is hurting, but sitting home alone won't help. And why wouldn't he takes his boys to sports events for a distraction. I think he is doing the best he can.

[paulanie]

I have to say that I was very bothered by the posts who were casting judgment on the reaction of Natasha's sons.

[paulanie]

to continue ...

They are still kids -- at the very awkward ages of 12 & 13. Have you guys forgotten what it's like to be an adolescent? Imagine having to deal with that, losing your mother and having to deal with an invasive paparazzi focusing their lenses on you. I don't think they're used to that.

I shudder at the thought that Vanessa Redgrave would pass by this board and read such hurtful comments about her grandsons. Judging Liam's seemingly fast recovery I can understand, but still not agree with. But judging Natasha's young boys? A travesty.

[crazylady]

He's on the market again. How lucky are we.

[Rachael78]

He's already taken. Ralph looks a bit gleeful, dontcha think?

[crazylady]

three will do, interested:-)

[Rachael78]

SJP is the new Bette Midler.

[Rachael78]

It started with the waives and thumbs up to reporters DURING the funeral, then the Knicks game, now this. Everyone is free to disagree with me, but this is a bit much. This is more than a stiff upper lip, it is a bit unseemly. I don't care if he's "acting" happy or unaffected. If I were Natasha Richardson, I would ask that my husband refrain from sporting events and yucking it up with friends at premiers for a few months as *gasp* A SIGN OF RESPECT. It's not that hard to wear black for a few months and not appear in public more than before your wife died.

Personally, I'm a bit creeped out by the way he seems to have gone out of his way to show that he has moved on. It seems unnecessarily callous, and for what? Maybe to his acting friends he is showing that he is the consummate actor, able to hide his pain and grief, but to me, he’s almost dancing on her grave.

Take a night off, Liam. Show some respect. I don’t know either of you personally, but I’m guessing she would have done at least that for you.

[neurogrl]

And if I were the grieving spouse I would tell you to go eff yourself. I hope you enjoy judging the people who are hurting and not supporting them in however they choose to live their lives after the loss of a loved one.

[mcyina]

lol

[Rachael78]

Whoa, relax. It's not that serious. I don't enjoy judging people. When I was 12 years old and my father died, my mother and my entire family behaved in a way that showed him a bit of respect. If adults are prone to denial, children are much more so and I really don't know how healthy it is for his sons for him to be acting so CHEERFUL. Just my two cents.

[mcyina]

Natasha was not selfish, and as she herself had lost many loved ones she will definitely understand her family and friends needs to get together and do things. Mostly everyone in these picture is mourning her and Liam is with good company. If he was not he would not be hanging out with her friends, or her mom and sister. Also when you loose someone you love the grief is just there, you cannot run away from it. For Natasha sake please live him alone.

[Rachael78]

I'm not exactly pounding on his front door, so I don't need to leave him alone. I don't think it's selfish for someone to expect an appropriate level of public grief to be displayed, even if nothing more than a formality.

We can debate it for days, but at very least this is true: Liam Neeson has chosen to attend events and behave in a manner that is not typical of someone whose spouse just died in a terrible accident. Whether it's courageous or callous is a matter of opinion, and I have just voiced mine.

Here's another truth- Liam Neeson is aware of appearances and again has chosen to appear like he has happily moved on in a very short period of time. He could also chose to honor her memory a bit more formally. Given the choice he made, there can obviously be some fallout in public opinion. So be it. He and Ralph Fiennes are acting like to lovers that just got rid of the ball-and-chain that was getting in the way. I half expect to see a picture of Liam popping champagne soon.

[paulanie]

It could be because Natasha's best friend (John Hickey) was also a star of this play. And he was joined by a lot of the people who attended her memorial service & funeral -- so I can't help but think that this was an event that Natasha prolly would have attended if she were alive. Similar to the London / St Tropez trip -- I read somewhere that those trips were already planned with Natasha.

So maybe -- he has decided that he will show up at all of the events that Natasha planned to attend -- as a way of representing them both.

The Liverpool match & the Knicks game prolly don't fall into this category -- but they had excellent seats at both events and I wouldn't be surprised if good friends came up to him and offered those seats so he can take his sons out for a break. Would you say no -- or would you think, yeah, maybe my boys can do something fun for a change?

I prefer to think of it this way rather than thinking of him as a "merry widower" so soon. I agree it looks a bit strange -- but who are we to judge how he is grieving? We have no way of knowing how he is doing when away from the public eye.

Natasha's Aunt Lynn pushed thru with a play she was contracted to do and she said Natasha would understand, apparently 1 of the Redgrave family

[racetoinfinity]

"loose"? "prolly" - I think I will take time off to grieve the proper spelling of the English language.

[Dawn Diglio]

Oh Please, who gives a rodent's rectum what any of you think about Sarah Jessica Parker!

The point of this article was Liam Neeson and his GOOD FRIEND Ralph Fiennes attending a theatrical event. More power to them! That's what friendship is about--helping someone move on.

The rest of you nit-picking busybodies passing judgment need to find something else to do with your time but find fault in others, for goodness sake!

[TigersEye]

Liam is smiling, more power to him! Do people really think that just because he's out and trying to move on with his life with his friends that he doesn't grieve? You can laugh and still be grieving, and I'm sure privately he'll be grieving for a very long time to come.

He's just had a huge reality check that yes, life is short and it can be taken away unexpectedly. If nothing else I'm sure his late wife (who by all accounts was a joie de vivre type of person) would have wanted him to move forward and be happy, and to live life to the fullest with their kids.

Stop judging the man already.

[iluvnews44]

Just from the little I've learned about Natasha, she would expect nothing less from Liam than to carry on for the sake of their children as well as himself. To see him taking his kids to games and going to work is very life affirming. I'm sure when he is alone in the bedroom he shared with his wife, he probably allows himself to fall to pieces.

[Dimitra Ekmektsis]

Wow, SJP looks phenomenal! Better than I remember ever seeing her. And that outfit - I'm slightly green with envy!

[trudem2]

I am a big, big fan of Neeson and also was a fan of his wife -- but I agree, a couple of weeks after her funeral and he has been seen several times at entertainment events. This theatrical outting is not the first. I know grief is an "individual" thing, but so soon after such a sudden death of such a beautiful and vibrant woman -- there's something unseemly about it. Nobody believes the family's life should come to a standstill -- but a month or two or three would not be a lot to ask.

[jerseywolf]

He's a man of the theatre, a stage and film actor, attending a play with close friends. It's true. Grief is an individual thing. How he deals with it is his business. And that's that. The only unseemly thing is when people comment on how other people should grieve. Maybe this comforts him greatly to go see a show, to do the things he would have done with his wife, whom he loved so much.

[MAragon]

Hang in there, Liam. You know he's missing Natasha, but trying real hard not to sit and brood. He's trying to stay 'present' for the boys. On other matters, Broderick is not aging well, is he? And Fiennes is actually looking pretty sharp again, for awhile he wasn't.

[Artos]

Neeson sure seems to have gotten over his wifes death pretty well. I haven't seen him smiling so much as he has of late. I know a guys got to make a living but you would think that having just recently lost your wife would cause you to want to be a bit more reclusive for at least a few months. The Travoltas are still getting over the loss of their son and it's been a month or more hasn't it.

[Fahira]

Artos-Grief is an individual thing and does not have a time frame. Believe me, Liam Nesson
is suffering in a way you cannot imagine. I recently lost my husband, and I can tell you the
pain and agony is devastating. Widows and Widowers do smile, laugh and of course cry.
He has to get out in order to heal. Because it is in sharing ourselves with other people and
vice versa, that we begin to feel what it is to live again. If you become reclusive, your soul dies
as well as your self. And that is NOT what a loved one who died would want.
The Travoltas are grieving the way they know how to grieve. I am grieving in my way and
Liam Neeson is too.

[waitforme]

This is a good response. More so because it comes from someone who's had the same experience.

No one should judge anyone else's way of mourning.

And, incidentally, most of the faces in this line-up seem sad, don't they? Is it the too-bright light, or are they all in mourning with and for Liam Neeson and his boys?

And, finally, I wish I could see Janet McTeer in this play. I think her acting is brilliant. (See Songcatcher, for one.)

[jsomerville5]

I would say that the smiling and laughing is an act and that he's still in a state of shock. Give him another month or two and he's going to crash into depression, big time.

Though it was disconcerting to see those photos of him with his sons at the basketball game, where they were all laughing. They sure weren't acting as if Natasha had just died.

[Roose]

People react to grief differently. Obviously, Mr. Neeson needs to be out with friends to try to get over his grief. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes, before you pass judgment.

[Senseimilla]

No, Mr. Neeson does not have to "stay indoors" just to please the likes of you...

If being amongst friends and supportive ppl helps him cope and let's him smile, then MORE POWER TO HIM...

Yeesh, people just LOVE to judge others so quickly...

[Foucek]

OK Mr. Expert why don't you volunteer for Hospice since you're such an genuis on how individuals need to grieve.....

[Rachael78]

LOL

[shirleyfeeney]

Media and Paps--Please stop taking pictures of him simply because of his recent tragedy. It's so....tacky. I love Liam Neeson and think he's one of our finest and gifted actors. Would you have taken these pictures if his beloved wife had not passed a few weeks ago?
Prolly not...

[robiform]

You're right about the media not photographing Liam Neeson so much had he not just lost his wife. However, I think he realizes that because of his recent loss, he's likely to be targeted by the media and paparazzi. I did enjoy seeing those photos of Liam and his "date"--a really nice-looking couple :-)!

[neurogrl]

I think these shot would have been taken because this was a red carpet event, but a bigger deal was made over them because of the tragedy.

[Jonni Rae]

I think Liam and his sons should be spending some time out of the public eye mourning the death of their wife/mother. I know the British stiff upper lip thing, but I think it seems as if they don't care. I feel it is disrespectful to her memory, frankly. Didn't they love her? it is almost as if he is capitalising on the grief of the public. I think it is ugly.

[alice09]

I feel for him. Every picture reveals his pain beneath the smile.

[dj5850]

I was just thinking the opposite of you alice09.

I looked at this and other pictures and he seems to have gotten over his wife's sudden demise rather quickly. Smiles all around.

[lizr]

RU kidding, look at his eyes.

it's so obvious that the light has gone out.

I hope in time it will come back.

[JhNyc]

Awful comment, based on nothing.

[janet1003mn]

As a parent, Liam Neeson doesn't have the luxury of wallowing or taking to his bed for some requisite grieving period. He's got to support his sons and make it possible to move on as a family. I cried every night for several months when my dad past away. But that didn't mean I didn't go out in public, that I didn't seek the company of friends and that I never dared to smile lest someone judge me not properly grief-stricken. Ridiculous.

[mcyina]

Pictures only captures a moment in time. It is evident that they were both laughing at something. Did you ever see him and Tasha in public, he is not getting over her anytime soon.

[joeythetrollslayer]

It's called denial. And it's a self defense mechanism. And it will probably last a few more weeks or months until you don't see him for a year anymore.
Get a clue. This is psych 101. The lack of common sense on these message boards is tragic.

[MrsPeel]

I'm with you, alice.

For most, now is the relatively easy part. Living without someone for the rest of your life is the hard part.

[daisydukes]

What pain, the man is smiling wherever he goes.

[smallbirdie]

wish I had a friend like Ralph Fiennes.

[Bitsko]

About twelve years ago, a friend and I were walking though Soho in NYC and spotting Messrs. Neeson and Fiennes walking towards us. We said what the heck and "stalked" them for a block, where they ducked into a bar. We did the same, and chatted up these two extraordinarily nice and very intelligent fellows for an hour or so. Good times.

[angiemomma]

Bitsko...I'm so jealous I can hardly stand myself. It's so cool that they were intelligent and nice to a fan for over an hour. Just the way I imagined they might be...awesome!

[mcyina]

soooooooooooo jealous.

[garyoke]

My wife and I went to see Mr. Fiennes in Faith Healer a few years ago. We waited outside the tage door, and I scored an autograph on the program. I then brought out the folded English Patient DVD cover and requested another one. Mr. Fiennes shot me a look that could melt steel, but I scrunched up my eyes and said "please...for my wife"....and he grudgingly complied.

Couldn't blame him. Nice guy though.

A must read: How I lead Ralph Riennes astray at 35,000 feet: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-436499/Exclusive-How-I-led-Ralph-Fiennes-astray-35-000ft.html

As for Mr. Neeson, my heart goes out to him and his family. There is no doubt that he lost his soul mate, his true love. God be with him.

[lizr]

yes, they are lucky to have each other as friends.