The city’s political elite packed into a black-tie ballroom Saturday night to watch their own get skewered — and this year, the main target was Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Journalists took the stage at the annual Inner Circle dinner and turned the Ziegfield Theater into a musical-style roast of City Hall, with song parodies, costumes and one-liners aimed at the mayor and his administration.
The Inner Circle dinner, a long-running event produced by journalists who cover city politics, combines a charity gala with a staged parody show.
The event takes its name after a group of New York political reporters who had insider access to City Hall.
The show opened with a jab.
“Good evening comrade, I’m Dean Fuleihan,” one reporter said, introducing Jeff Coltin — who played Mamdani — to laughs from the crowd.
Coltin, editor-in-chief of City & State, wore an apron with no shirt underneath, a nod to a past Mamdani music video appearance.
The show unfolded as a multi-act revue, with reporters performing parody songs and playing exaggerated versions of political figures.
One number, “Mamdani Math,” set to “Pink Pony Club,” drew some of the biggest laughs of the night.
Other skits targeted members of the administration.
“I’m first deputy major mayor — it’s almost the same job I had, you know, with Bill de Blasio,” said an actor portraying Dean Fuleihan.
“But why did I come back? Did you ever hear of Hot girls for Zara? Besides, I’m the experienced hand behind all of these wacky doodle socialists in City Hall.”
The real Dean Fuleihan was in the room as the line drew laughs.
Another reporter in the show took aim at the mayor’s communications team.
“I’m Dora Pekec, a senior spokeswoman for the mayor… even though I’m only 26,” the performing journalist said.
The show also featured portrayals of former Mayor Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, radio host John Catsimatidis and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa — all played by reporters.
Other songs and skits referenced city issues including transit and housing, with mentions of proposals such as free buses.
Saturday’s performance followed that format, with reporters taking on the roles of politicians and delivering the jokes from the stage.
The audience — a mix of politicians, media figures and other insiders — reacted with steady laughter throughout the night.
The event is often compared to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, with elected officials in attendance as the subject of the evening’s jokes.
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