Lit up theater sign earns a crowd
Congress Avenue has been transformed. On Sept. 23, the public gathered before a stage on the street. Smaller parties perched in the Norwood Tower, Contemporary Austin’s Jones Center, Stephen F. Austin Hotel’s terrace, State Theatre, Townsend bar and elsewhere. All awaited the lighting of the Paramount Theatre’s vertical blade sign, a replica of the crowned glory that reigned over the avenue from 1930 to 1964, then disappeared.
At Luci Baines Johnson and Ian Turpin’s penthouse atop the Norwood Tower, the late president’s daughter talked about the Paramount as the last thing the couple sees at night from one of their terraces, and the first thing they see in the morning, referring, in this case, to a photograph of Lady Bird Johnson’s hearse passing the theater marquee, which reads, “We’ll miss our leading lady.”
In fact, the Johnson family can count another major connection to the rejuvenated façade, as recounted by Paramount captain Jim Ritts: As theater leaders planned to replace the blade, they could not determine its color definitively until somebody unearthed a video from the early 1960s showing an LBJ motorcade moving along the avenue. So, green instead of blue.
The next Paramount party I visited was on the soon-to-be-
upgraded rooftop of the Jones Center. Here, closer to the scene, one could hear the rumbling of the street party and see the size of the sign — several stories high and able to withstand 90-mile-anhour winds, according to an engineering consultant hired by the theater.
Next, a dozen or so guests, myself included, were led onto the street stage for the lighting ceremony. Most had done something crucial, like navigating the theater through times good and bad — leaders such as John Bernardoni, Paul Beutel, Ken Stein, Charles Eckerman and Stephen Scott. Others turned out to be family members of deceased donors, or people who had worked on the sign somehow.
Why was I included, I wondered? A very small thing, really: Seems I got the project rolling three years ago when I quizzed Ritts on the whereabouts of the original Paramount blade. Not long after that, the powers that be decided that a replacement would make a fine birthday candle for the theater’s centennial celebration.
Tribeza Dinner + Design
Pairing designers with chefs, Tribeza has created a new genre of party. To kick off Style Week 2015, the lifestyle magazine switched from its usual menswear fair to a sit-down dinner that twinned some of the city’s best cooks with some of its best interior designers.
By consensus, Fern Santini outdid all others at the Fair Market venue with her homage to Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball. Outsize photographs of the original celebrity guests hung on the walls of a pop-up formal dining room, lit by elaborate candelabra and a blazing chandelier. Other designers created cascading floral runners. Our table was beautiful but comparatively modest in design.
We had the benefit, however, of chef Larry McGuire’s in-person skills, representing Jeffrey’s, his flagship eatery. It was like being transported to the tony Clarksville-area restaurant, a civilized meal that climaxed in a perfectly executed peppered tenderloin. My tablemate this evening was longtime By George co-owner Katy Culmo. Although we had met several times before, we poured out our life stories to each other, a rare conversational treat.
Imaginarium for the Thinkery
The night version of this event took off years ago at an abandoned airplane hangar. This time, the Imaginarium gala landed at the JW Marriott, looking all grown-up and smart. Other than a few superpatrons, such as Lynn and Tom Meredith, the hosts and guests for this Thinkery event belong to a completely divergent set of Austin nonprofit backers. Which is tremendously gratifying, since Austin’s 6,000 charities need all the help they can attract.
Everyone at my table — set close to the resurrected Austin-themed stage set from “Jimmy KimmelLive” — kept the commentary going at a fast pace. Helpful for answering questions, immediately to my right were two former Thinkery captains, Mike Nellis and David C. Smith, who cheered incoming CEO Troy Livingston.
Jewel Ball Luncheon
The midday repast was really all about the apparel. Given by the venerable Women’s Symphony League, the Jewel Ball Luncheon, which helps pay the way for tens of thousands of youth to attend Austin Symphony performances, attracted some 500 women to the JW Marriott Austin. Many attired in black-andwhite animal prints; they were in no hurry to enter the banquet hall for a full fashion show and a condensed meal.
Other than servers, I counted only five men — and all of us, including veteran shutterbug Robert Godwin, were working the event in some way, too. The centerpiece, which included a short introduction of the Jewel Ball royalty — still hard to compass after all these years — was an expert runway show directed by the esteemed Sue Webber.
It started with loose, organically gorgeous clothing from the Garden Room, followed by kicky, whimsical styles from Rare Trends and little runway dramas acted out by models representing Almar Furs. The second half of the bill included playful, amusing apparel from Adelante Boutique, rock ’n’ roll inspirations from Red Bird Boutique and stately, bold classics from Julian Gold. Another Webber winner.
Austin Opera Gala Concert
It was good to see the orchestra. Usually, the Austin Opera orchestra is hidden in the pit. For the group’s first Gala Concert in a long time, they sat smiling on the stage of the Long Center. And oh, did they sound sumptuous under the leadership of maestro Richard Buckley, playing two composers too rarely heard in Austin: Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Before the show, I thought the company’s leadership was tossing lovers of Wagner and Strauss some concert crumbs. Then it occurred to me that these selections from “Rienzi,” “Tristan und Isolde,” “Der Rosenkavelier,” “Salome” and “Der Meistersinger” might be previews of things to come. Not these pieces specifically, but a signal that Austin Opera might be heading in a fresh direction. Could Britten and Janacek be far behind?
In a bit of opera as opera, towering Seattle dramatic soprano Marcy Stonikas replaced another singer at the last minute and blew us away after only one rehearsal. The concert was followed by a long reception, then a dinner on the stage. A new and cherished tradition?