"All this drama, it's very Italian, no?" commented Malo's Marco Cattoretti after the first act of Romeo + Juliet on Tuesday night. There was indeed plenty of action both onstage and off as a glittering crowd gathered at Lincoln Center for the world premiere of Peter Martins' new ballet, set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev and guest-conducted by David Briskin. Bill Clinton was in the house, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. After extending a warm greeting to the former (and perhaps future) White House resident, Martins had a bit of fun, saying: "If it makes you feel better, Mr. President, you are in President Lincoln's seat!" That would be Lincoln Kirstein, the New York City Ballet's co-founder, whose centennial was part of the evening's celebrations.

Following the performance, guests including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bryan Ferry, Francesco Clemente, Cecily Brown, Ahn Duong, and Vogue's Anna Wintour headed upstairs to the Capulet Ball. There, Camilla Belle and Bee Shaffer traded compliments about their dresses—Peter Som and Vera Wang, respectively—and Ice Princess Michelle Trachtenberg and "Juliet Capulet," a.k.a. Sterling Hyltin, traded stories about ankle injuries. The ingenue had been sidelined for a week just before her debut with a sprain, though you'd never know it. Asked if she had ever experienced a tragic love, Brazilian bombshell Ana Beatriz Barros replied: "Oh yes, everybody has!"

Nearby at the aptly chosen Paris Theatre, Yves Saint Laurent hosted the American premiere of Paris, je t'aime. The movie, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year, comprises 18 shorts by 18 different directors, all of which focus on romance, in one form or another, in the City of Light. Following the film, some guests headed to the YSL boutique for an in-store after-party, while others, like Rashida Jones and Emmanuelle Chriqui, made a beeline to Chat Noir for a private dinner. Natalie Portman, one of the film's biggest stars, opted for both, and upon arriving at the latter, said that watching herself on the big screen was "like revisiting my youth." The petite actress filmed her segment five years ago and used it to help attract other celebrities to the project. The evening marked new territory for her in the fashion department, though. "This is the first time I'm wearing YSL, I think," she said of her dress, before excusing herself to greet her father.

Papa Portman wasn't the only one vying for his daughter's affections. Former Rag & Bone designer Nathan Bogle lingered close by; Steve Buscemi (whose part in Joel and Ethan Coen's segment won the evening's biggest laughs) asked for a photographer's number after having his picture taken with the pretty starlet; and Zach Braff confessed she was the only reason that he was there. "I love Natalie; I'll support anything that she does," he said. The Scrubs funnyman was in demand himself. Chriqui asked him to pose for a photo with her, though Braff cautioned: "I always warn people before we take a photo that tomorrow it's going to be reported that we're dating."