Cate Blanchett—an Oscar winner last year who by tradition would have presented this year's best supporting actor award at Los Angeles's Kodak Theatre on Sunday—was instead onstage in Brooklyn performing the lead in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) marked the production's premiere and Blanchett's U.S. stage debut earlier in the week with a chic benefit sponsored by Gucci and global law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.Gucci's director of special events, Susan Chokachi, and director of public relations, Siddhartha Shukla, worked with BAM's Jennifer Stark to plan the event, which consisted of four parts: A predinner cocktail party in the foyer of the Howard Gilman Opera House, a two-course dinner served on the opera house's stage, then a quick walk to the nearby Harvey Theater for the performance, and a dessert reception afterwards back on the stage of the opera house.
The color scheme of the evening was purple and brown, the latter a Gucci signature shade. Purple was found in lighting on branches of magnolia, which graced the foyer of the opera house, in arrangements of anemones—blossoms featured by Gucci in its spring and summer collections—and in candles on dinner tables. There were chocolate brown, custom-made linen chair covers and tablecloths, also in the opera house, created by Party Cloths. Gucci also provided special blond wood cubes that acted as vases for the flowers.
BAM's Stark said the decision to hold most of the benefit in the opera house was made to "show off our space, to give as much of the center stage as was literally possible. We wanted to make people fall in love with the opera house, and also with the Harvey."
The cuisine, from Great Performances, was lavish. During the cocktail reception, mozzarella spirals, woodland mushroom strudel, duck and cabbage rolls, and other hors d'oeuvres were passed. The dinner menu featured a carpaccio of beets with goat cheese quenelle, and sautéed breast of chicken with onion and potato galette and multicolored carrots and braised leeks. An assortment of mini desserts—cherry tartlettes, carrot cake, key lime pie tarts, and cheesecake bites—were offered at the dessert reception.
—Jane L. Levere
Posted 03.07.06
Photos: Elena Olivo
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The color scheme of the evening was purple and brown, the latter a Gucci signature shade. Purple was found in lighting on branches of magnolia, which graced the foyer of the opera house, in arrangements of anemones—blossoms featured by Gucci in its spring and summer collections—and in candles on dinner tables. There were chocolate brown, custom-made linen chair covers and tablecloths, also in the opera house, created by Party Cloths. Gucci also provided special blond wood cubes that acted as vases for the flowers.
BAM's Stark said the decision to hold most of the benefit in the opera house was made to "show off our space, to give as much of the center stage as was literally possible. We wanted to make people fall in love with the opera house, and also with the Harvey."
The cuisine, from Great Performances, was lavish. During the cocktail reception, mozzarella spirals, woodland mushroom strudel, duck and cabbage rolls, and other hors d'oeuvres were passed. The dinner menu featured a carpaccio of beets with goat cheese quenelle, and sautéed breast of chicken with onion and potato galette and multicolored carrots and braised leeks. An assortment of mini desserts—cherry tartlettes, carrot cake, key lime pie tarts, and cheesecake bites—were offered at the dessert reception.
—Jane L. Levere
Posted 03.07.06
Photos: Elena Olivo
Related Stories
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Planners of the Year: Fund-Raising With Flair
BAM Takes Cool Performances to Hamptons
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Clever Cloud Effect Glows for BAM Gala
BAM Brings Swinging 60's to Brooklyn
City Museum Goes Gucci Chic
Party Cloths' custom-made chocolate brown chair covers and tablecloths decorated the dinner tables on stage at the Howard Gilman Opera House for the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Gucci-sponsored Hedda Gabler benefit.
Kurt Rauch for Flowers' large magnolia arrangements graced the foyer of the Howard Gilman Opera House.
Anemones-blossoms featured in event sponsor Gucci's spring and summer collection-filled blond wood cubes at the reception in the opera house's foyer.
