That ’70s show
The Alley Theatre knows how to throw one out-of-sight gala.
The blast-from-the-past motif put eventgoers “In the Groove.” Specifically, that ’70s groove.
Some 350 patrons returned to Silver Street Studios for a far-out evening, chaired by Florence and Tom Langford.
“I took the Langfords to lunch, got them to say ‘yes’ and thought, ‘Man, I’ve got this board-president business down,’ ” Butch Mach said onstage inside the Motown Lounge, designed by Richard Flowers. “Because, as you all know, people don’t always accept on the first try.”
The Alley’s educational programming reaches 80,000 Houston-area students annually, he said. “I was first introduced to the Alley in junior high school — and this is where I ended up.”
Artistic director Gregory Boyd praised honoree Randall Jamail, whose “support exceeds the million-dollar mark.”
With that, Mach slid his sunglasses back on and invited guests to enjoy dinner and The Temptations. VIP guests had an uber-exclusive backstage photo op with the legendary R&B group.
Then the red-tuxedoclad members shook the stage with performances of “Just My Imagination,” “My Girl” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.”
Scene, the organization of the Alley’s young supporters, came just in time to catch the concert and late-night dancing, courtesy of DJ Kalkutta.
When the disco ball finally stopped spinning, more than $500,000 had been raised.