After being closed for a yearlong top-to-bottom makeover, the Mark Taper Forum opened its doors to donors, celebrities, and V.I.P.s with a gala celebrating the renovated theater on Saturday. Dame Edna (the character played by Australian comic Barry Humphries) hosted the event, and her unscripted humor lent an element of surprise throughout the evening.
Center Theatre Group’s Charity Wu enlisted the help of p.g/:R Productions to produce the event. “Considering this is a theatrical event, decor is highly exaggerated—it’s not your regular sit-down dinner. Dame Edna is very over the top, so decor is over the top,” said p.g./:R Productions' Anie Andonian.
Guests entered by way of a red carpet, where Dame Edna conducted interviews with celebrities and took pictures with patrons. A cocktail area was dressed in royal blue carpet, ice-blue linens, and modern floral arrangements containing coral, green bamboo, and fuchsia. Custom-made bars surrounded by large orchid arrangements complemented the new design of the Taper.
At the end of cocktail hour, Dame Edna came through 14-foot-tall wooden doors and invited guests to be seated for dinner. The dining area included mirrors along tree trunks and large white fabric flowers embedded in planters. Blue silk linens covered tables. During dinner, Dame Edna did table interviews with guests; the interviews were projected onto large plasma screens, followed by a skit of Dame Edna touring the new Taper. Then she emerged, leading a marching band, while a simultaneous light show revealed the remade theater. She then invited guests to come inside and see the new space's debut show: John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves.
As guests watched the play, organizers transformed the courtyard into the setting for the after-party. Patrons came out to find candy stations on large glass tables, a live band, and a dance floor. Dame Edna made a final champagne toast to the new theater, while her butler (who was by her side the entire night) brought a large box of faux dynamite to the platform. Joined by donors and V.I.P.s, the group made a gesture to set off the dynamite box, fueling a fireworks show for a dramatic reveal of the new Mark Taper Forum. Though the hostess left shortly after the fireworks display, guests continued to flock to the dance floor until after midnight.
