—GALA NOTES—
A Starry Dreamy Night...
"A Night to Dream" was the new name of the auction night that benefited Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, held on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. Some 750 party goers bid on live auction items: shopping extravaganzas, once-in-a-lifetime vacations, and pampering packages. The raffle drawing featured 15 prizes including trips, shopping sprees and entertainment packages. After the auction and raffles, guests danced to music by Big Fun. The evening raised money for Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, Midwest Chapter, which helps improve the quality of lives for seriously ill children and their families.
Red Carpet night...
Hosting this year's "Official Oscar Night Party" on Sunday, Feb. 27, was the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. The Awards party celebrated the 77th Annual Academy Awards. The party at 164 N. State St. offered a night of glamour.
Benefit co-chairs Peggy Jester and Averill Leviton planned the only Academy-sanctioned Oscar Night America party in Chicago. (There are only 45 such sanctioned parties across the country.) The sumptuous buffet was donated by Food For Thought, and the guests were entertained by the Joan Rivers impersonator. They bid on some great travel and Hollywood type prizes in a silent auction. Funds raised from the Oscar night party benefit the educational programs of the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Scholarship Fund of the Chicago Academy for the Arts.
More on the Ruby Rug...
Another fabulous Oscar Night Party on Sunday, Feb. 27, was a star-studded affair at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. The evening was hosted by LeeAnn Trotter, host of "Metromix: The TV Show," and featured interactive Oscar games, a ballot contest, a fashion contest, raffles and more.
Steppenwolf Gala 2005...
Steppenwolf Theatre Company presented its annual gala benefit Saturday, April 9. Celebrities, ensemble members, and supporters were among the 700 guests attending both the black-tie gala and the performance of "Lost Land," featuring ensemble members John Malkovich, Martha Lavey and Yasen Peyankov. So it was a star gazing night with cocktails, a feast, dancing, a celebrity "Star with the Stars" live auction, and entertainment by Steppenwolf co-founder Gary Sinise and the "Lt. Dan Band."
The live auction was one of the best, with walk-on roles in a variety of TV shows, private dinners with ensemble members, and more. This Gala was priced at $1,500 per ticket, taking the Steppenwolf fundraiser way over the top.
First annual...
The diversity of art was celebrated at the 1st Annual Lakeview East Fine Art Festival, held Sept. 10 and 11 on Broadway from Belmont Ave. to Roscoe St. Presented by the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, the fair offered a diverse showcase of art, music, crafts, dance, food and music. There were 160 local, national and international artists showing paintings, sculpture, drawings, one-of-a-kind fashions, and mixed media—including a performance by the Joel Hall Dancers. The fair also featured a French market with produce, flowers, baked goods, handmade crafts, live glass blowing, live music (from folk to classical), and a tent offering free hands-on pottery, sculpture and drawing instruction.
Annual ball under the stars...
The Women's Board of the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum celebrated its annual Celestial Ball and its 75th anniversary together on Sept. 17 at the Adler Planetarium. "Fly Me to the Moon" began with a wonderful cocktail reception, a fabulous dinner with a beautiful Chicago skyline in the background, dessert, plus cheek-to-cheek dancing. As if that weren't enough, there were also live and silent auctions.
The Ball was chaired by Katherine Hunt and co-chaired by Susan V. Downing and Sherry Schmitter Block. A ticket to this elite 75th Anniversary Celestial bash was $350.
Fashions and more...
This year's 79th Annual Fashion Show fundraiser given by the Women's Board of Rush University Medical Center was called "The Beat Goes On" and took place on Sept. 15 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Chaired by Mimi Mitchell and Women's Board President Mary Smart, and hosted by Mary Ann Childers and Jay Levine of CBS, the show was a great night out with local celebrities and many well-known Chicago residents modeling the latest fashions and jewelry for a worthy cause. After the show, special guests and VIPs mingled with the models at a cocktail reception. The fashions were spectacular. The proceeds went toward the development of a Heart and Vascular Center providing the latest technological advancements.
A noted Rendezvous...
Gallery season began in September, a great time to check out the local galleries. That's what makes the River North Rendezvous so popular. This year's event was bigger and better than ever. More than 1,000 guests thronged the Gallery District bounded by Huron and Wells streets and Chicago and Franklin avenues to visit 13 River North galleries.
River North is filled with restaurants, galleries and nightclubs. At each gallery visited, guests enjoyed a sampling of the cuisine from an area restaurant, sipped cocktails, and listened to live music ranging from a classical harpist to house and blues. Afterwards, they headed over to the KazBar at the House of Blues Hotel, 333 N. Dearborn St.
The Rendezvous, presented by The Redhead Piano Bar, is produced by more than 450 businesses in River North. Beneficiaries of the River North event include the Anti-Cruelty Society, Gilda's Club, National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, and Variety Club of Illinois.
Season opener...
Ossie Davis's musical smash, "Purlie," was the season opener at the Goodman Theatre celebrating its 2005-06 Season. This was a major revival of the Broadway musical hit with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose and Peter Udell. The Goodman Theatre celebrated with a black-tie gala benefit on Friday, Sept. 23. Guests gathered in the Rooftop Terrace Tent for cocktails at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at 205 E. Randolph Dr. in Millennium Park. After cocktail hour, a glitzy seated dinner was served followed by the opening night performance of "Purlie" at the Goodman's Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. A ticket to the gala went for $1,000.
Gold Hugo awarded to...
Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine, an extraordinary actress, was honored on Saturday, July 13, at the Sheraton on E. Wacker Pl. by the Governing Board of the 41st Chicago International Film Festival.
Shirley MacLaine Beatty (sister of Warren Beatty) received the Gold Hugo Career Achievement Award for her long, successful career.
Film Festival founder Michael J. Kutza said she was "a beloved actress of great distinction and dignity. Shirley MacLaine has secured her place as a screen legend during her career of almost 50 films..."
Besides her incredible, memorable, diversified films, MacLaine has authored nine best-selling books and has made many Broadway and TV appearances.
Guests were treated to a cocktail reception, silent auction, lavish dinner, live auction, award ceremony (including a film retrospective chronicling MacLaine's career), and dancing to the R&B music of Terisa Griffin.
The gala evening benefited outreach programs sponsored and developed by Cinema/Chicago, the organization that also presents the annual Chicago International Film Festival. An individual Gala ticket was $350.
—PERFORMANCE NOTES—
What's cookin'...
"Cookin'" is what happened when four Korean chefs got together on the stage of the Chicago Theatre this past Jan. 18 and simply brought down the house. And although it was a Korean show, you could speak any language to enjoy the universal theme of cooking.
The premise, conceived and directed by Seung Whan Song, was that the four chefs were racing against time to finish a wedding banquet. The maitre d' kept the chefs on a tight schedule with his irritating style of clock watching.
The chefs sliced, diced, chopped, and beat out a nifty rhythm using pots, pans, chopsticks, knives, cutting boards and woks. They even tossed a little martial arts and drumming into their successful recipes.
Quite entertaining, this show has toured more than 25 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Return of 'Producers'...
Bob Amaral and Andy Taylor played Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom in the Mel Brooks musical "The Producers," which opened at the Auditorium Theatre this past February. Not quite the same as having Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the lead roles, but they were good enough for me to enjoy the show. This opening night performance was the fifth time I've seen the show and I must say it was thoroughly enjoyable. The two leading men were strong and funny, with good voices and timing. The supporting cast was equally enjoyable too.
It was a pleasure to go to the theater and laugh. I really must give thanks to Broadway in Chicago for bringing "The Producers" back. After all, there aren't too many funny shows. This one is way out in front.
In mid-December when the musical movie version of "The Producers" opened at theaters, I couldn't wait to see it.
Almost every major character from the original Broadway cast was in the film, including Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. New to the movie is an Ulla played by Uma Thurman.
The first movie of "The Producers" came out in the '60s and was as funny and unique as anything could be during that time period, but this second movie version incorporates the first movie and the musical production and has to be in the movie world's "Hall of Fame."
If I had to rate it with 100 being the best, I'd give it an 85 percent which is the age of Mel Brooks. Congratulations, Mel!
Charity is sweet...
Christina Applegate starred in the pre-Broadway engagement of the revival of the musical comedy "Sweet Charity" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through mid-March.
Applegate played dance-hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine, the nicest, sweetest and most naive dance hall girl who always gave her heart and her earnings to the wrong man.
And Applegate's rendition of Charity (there have been a few before her) was sweet, funny and sassy—a great combination for an actress who learned the tools of her trade on TV and in the movies. "Sweet Charity" had some great music with show-stopping numbers "If My friends Could See Me Now" and "Big Spender." When Applegate sang, she belted out those lyrics, when she was directed to be sweet, she was "sugar," and when she danced, her legs did as they were commanded, thanks to the Tony Award winning choreography by the late Bob Fosse.
Chicago favorite...
"Chicago," the musical about murder, corruption, greed, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery that has one of the all time best scores, played the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The winner of six Tony awards, "Chicago" is probably one of my all-time favorites with of course "42nd Street" and "The Producers." I'd see those shows again and again AND again.
Remember Hershey Felder...
Hershey Felder is not a name you'll forget easily especially if you've seen any of his performances. His first was the incredible portrayal of George Gershwin in "George Gershwin Alone," which played a year at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St. The romantic story and music of Polish pianist-composer Frederic Chopin came to life when Hershey Felder became "Chopin," which opened in August at the same theater. "Monsieur Chopin" takes place at the composer's salon in Paris where he teaches a piano lesson shortly after the start of the 1848 Revolution. During this lesson he reveals secrets about the art of the piano and composition and secrets about himself. The show includes some of Chopin's best known music. Contact the theater to see these two great shows now rotating!
—NOTABLE DANCES—
River North Dance celebrates...
Celebrating its 15th Anniversary, Valentine's Day, and two world premieres, River North Chicago Dance Company performed for three days in February at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr. in Millennium Park. The world premieres were "Grace" by co-artistic director emeritus Sherry Zunker and "Take a Seat" by artistic director Frank Chaves. A new work, "Redlight," by River North dancer James Gregg, was another highlight. The company is known for its eclectic jazz and contemporary dance repertoire. River North Dance is really something to watch as they never disappoint.
HSDC Magic of Romance...
The Magic of Romance on April 8 raised a whopping $750,000. Hubbard Street Dance's black-tie party began with a performance by the dancers at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The party continued at the Fairmont Chicago with a cocktail reception, magnificent dinner, dessert, dancing and a unique silent auction.
A. A. American Dance returns...
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brought its troupe and presented three Chicago premieres April 7-10 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The immensely popular dance troupe was founded in 1958 by Alvin Ailey who was an electrifying dancer. After his death, Judith Jamison took the reins and her artistic leadership has followed the Ailey legacy.
—RESTAURANT OPENING—
Save the airfare...
You don't have to travel all the way to Brazil to dine at a Brazilian Steak house because the River North area now boasts a fine one. In March, Sal & Carvao churrascaria opened its doors at 739 N. Clark St. (corner of Clark and Superior streets) and it is quite a place! The two-story, 22,000 square foot restaurant serves up to 400 guests and has two private dining rooms. It serves an incredible variety of sea salt-seasoned meats that have been slow roasted over an open fire. The meats are brought to the diners' tables by "gauchos" so the guest can choose what he or she would like from the vast assortment.
It's all-you-can-eat with a fixed price menu that includes 14 different cuts of beef, pork, lamb and chicken, plus grilled salmon. Also included is an amazing parmesan cheese bread, fried polenta, fried bananas and mashed potatoes. In addition, the diner can visit the elaborate appetizer and salad buffet. While you're dining, don't forget to check out the extensive art collection that brings the large
restaurant to life.
Did I forget to mention the desserts and the specialty drinks? Sorry, no more room. Just go, eat and be pleased and surprised. Sal & Carvao offers a fixed price menu for lunch and dinner and a kids' menu for 7 to 10-year-olds. The salad bar is also available by itself. |
