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Delia and Nora Ephron’s ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ takes a bow in L.A.

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What’s the difference between L.A. and New York?

People in L.A. understand that black rules. People in New York actually wear it.

The opening-night audience of Delia and Nora Ephron‘s off-Broadway hit ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ showed up in a veritable rainbow of hues to the Geffen Playhouse on Thursday. (OK, a few people wore New York-chic black -- including the playwrights themselves.) Nonetheless, the audience howled when the fashion color to end all colors was hilariously deconstructed in the five-woman reading of women’s memories triggered by particular items of clothing.

Funny people run in the same circles, so naturally there were several professionally funny audience members with various connections to the writers and performers -- ‘Girlfriends’’ Tracee Ellis Ross, Rita Wilson, Carol Kane (who won two Emmys for her role on ‘Taxi’), Natasha Lyonne from ‘American Pie’ and Caroline Aaron, who appeared in three Nora Ephron films, including ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’

Rob Reiner, who directed Nora’s screenplay of ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ was there. So was Wilson’s hubby and Nora’s ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ star, Tom Hanks, who ...

... darted out before the after-party at the Hotel Angeleno to get some sleep before his 5 a.m. call on the set of ‘Larry Crowne.’ After the show, Lyonne introduced ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member Maya Rudolph to the delighted Ephrons. Because it’s the public’s right to know what clothing memories the actresses themselves have, the Ministry polled a few of them:

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Rita Wilson: ‘I have so many. My wedding gown became five different dresses. First it was a full gown with long sleeves and a big huge train. Then the train bustled up in the back. Then the poufy part of the skirt came off and it was a miniskirt underneath. Then the sleeves came off and it became a strapless cocktail dress, which was my going away outfit.’

Did you ever wear any of it again?

‘Never! It’s perfectly packed in archive paper.’

Caroline Aaron: ‘I was supposed to be the flower girl in my cousin’s wedding. And I put on the dress and it was a little tight from the time I was fitted to the time of the wedding, and the zipper exploded. I had to wear a Chinese wrap robe as the flower girl because I had gained a little weight. Oops! I was 10. And my big sister wore the dress that I couldn’t get into.’

Grrrrr.

‘I know. Exactly.’

Tracee Ellis Ross: ‘Where to begin? My whole life is a clothing memory. I would have to say that the Guess striped jeans that almost looked like jail stripes with a zipper on the bottom, a rugby sweater that said Benetton across the front, slouchy socks, and Keds sneakers with shoelaces that had hearts on them.’

Did you wear that to your wedding?

‘Can you imagine? No, I’ve never been married. It was what I wore in high school. It was my favorite outfit.’

-- Irene Lacher

Related:

Theater review: ‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ at the Geffen PlayhouseFor headlines about fabulous parties, theater and more, follow us on Twitter (we’re @LATcelebs) or put us in your news feed on Facebook.

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