A Bowl Full of Baskets of Delights : 68th Season’s Opening Night Is First Class All the Way

There are some things that improve with age: The Hollywood Bowl is one. Tuesday night was heaven. For the opening night of the 68th Bowl season, the skies were friendly--only one helicopter. As twilight took its sweet time about becoming night, the silhouette of lined up trees on the hill behind the bowl was a painting worthy of Sotheby’s.

It was all first class. The official Steinway. Schramsberg champagne. Beluga caviar. Lobster bisque. Silver goblets. Blue Willow china. The green wicker picnic baskets that everyone used to get with Blue Chip Stamps scattered throughout the Garden and Terrace box areas.

And there was Nancy Reagan in Box 1131. A memorable Tchaikovsky finale conducted by Yuri Temirkanov. Orrin Howard’s program notes. Polite parking attendants.

Was it going well? “When hasn’t it?” Philharmonic executive director Ernest Fleischmann quipped, noting that Russian emigre Vladimir Feltsman would be starring as pianist in Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 in G, and that Feltsman’s wife, Anna, had the artist’s box.

That was Box 1131, where the lookouts were posted waiting for Nancy Reagan. She and son Ron Reagan and his wife, Doria, were the special guests of the Feltsmans because of aid in getting them out of the Soviet Union. “For us, they are the best people; we love them,” Anna said, throwing her arms around Nancy Reagan. (Former President Ronald Reagan was in Anaheim, co-announcing the All-Star game with Vin Scully.)

In their corner box, where they hosted Dody and Otis Booth, Carol and Mike Inman spread black and white plaid place mats, flew black and white balloons and set their hook-on trays with herb bouquets and white narcissus.

It took both Judy and Steaven Jones to carry the load of their green hamper filled with goodies Judy had concocted from recipes in the Los Angeles Junior League Cookbook. Daryn and Bill Horton were waiting for them with “a little Schramsberg.”

Elsewhere, Colette and Charles Witt had pate from the Biltmore Hotel out for Louise and Tom Jones. Maury and Carolyn De Wald and Carla and Rudy Rehm were eating Brie before the beef tenderloin and lemon bars. Dee and Bob Wilson set up blue agapanthus and red and white roses for Gretchen and George Gibbs before presenting Veuve Clicquot.

Brian Panosian wore his yellow suspenders and sat in the $4 top-row seats (the better to see the stars), dropping by twice to see his parents, Vera (chairman of the Hollywood Bowl Volunteers) and Howard Panosian in their box.

Marian and Stanley Brown had moved that day into the Mirabella condos on Wilshire. But the Bowl, with Terry and Diane Mullin as their regular opening night guests, is a tradition. The picnic went on.

Speaking of tradition, Norma and David McIntyre always serve lobster bisque; enjoying were Janice and Bob Carpenter.

Where did she want to go for her 19th birthday? Lindsey Kozberg said the Bowl, and parents Joanne and Roger Kozberg obliged, bringing along Andrea Van de Kamp, whose husband, John, was off campaigning for governor.

Alan (he’s Philharmonic board secretary) and Nancy Wayte opened the Bristol Farms chervil chicken for Judge William and Julie Masterson.

The Bowl calls for a best effort. Whitley Collins did just that. He invited John Roberts, Hayden Eaves and Scott Kerslake to sit in his parents’ box. With youthful gusto, they chowed down on sandwiches.

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