Dressing the Part : Opera Boosters Will Don Garb of Favorite Characters
So you think an opera ball is all about arias, white-tie and tails and bejeweled matrons making grand entrances.
Think again. When Opera Pacific stages its 12th annual gala at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine on Oct. 29, about 500 guests will dress as characters from their favorite opera, dance to the music of the Stonebridge orchestra and, well, have a ball.
“Some people think opera balls are about a bunch of stuffy people at a stuffy event,” says Barbara Venezia, gala co-chairwoman with Laila Conlin.
“But our ball is about fun. We’re inviting guests to come as opera characters because our ball is just around the corner from Halloween--perfect for an opera-style masquerade.”
The $175-per-person gala will be staged with an enchanted garden theme, where gala-goers, who have the option of wearing costume or attire appropriate to a black-tie affair, will mingle among spraying fountains, stately columns, carved stone benches and greenery.
Last week, the second in a series of ball-booster events was staged at the Hyatt Regency when Mary Ann Wells and Mary Lou Hornsby coordinated a luncheon-fashion show featuring clothes by David Hayes from I. Magnin.
“Opera can be a hard sell,” whispered Wells, a society maven from Newport Beach. “So Mary Lou and I have tried to make this luncheon a beautiful little preview of the ball. We want everybody here to attend the ball.”
Tall floral centerpieces--done in the colors of “a peacock’s tail” explained committee member Cerise Feeley--were accented by jeweled and glittered masks.
Tables and chairs were draped in flowing black skirts--an ultra-dramatic touch for a midday get-together. “We wanted drama,” explained Wells. (And they wanted to cover up the Hyatt’s new ballroom carpeting--a nightmare of cavorting swirls--explained a committee member.)
On hand to advise guests on appropriate ball attire was Noddie Weltner, fashion director of I. Magnin at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
She loves the idea of an opera masquerade ball. “But the important thing for guests is not to look like they’re on their way to a Halloween party,” Weltner said.
“You want to look regal and elegant at a ball, so, for an opera character masquerade, it would be clever to use a lovely gown that suggests a general idea, then top if off with a headpiece that would give you a costume effect .”
Karen Hardin, for one, can’t wait to dress for the ball or for the opening night “Supper on the Nile” gala on Oct. 1 that will follow Opera Pacific’s production of “Aida” in Segerstrom Hall. (Hardin is co-chairing the “Nile” do with opera buff Marla Patterson.)
“I love tradition . . . dressing up for the opera season,” said Hardin, who is known in society circles for her stylish evening ensembles. “Being a native Southern Californian who has always felt the influence of Hollywood glamour, I can’t think any other way.
“I want glamour and beauty around me. I think it’s shame when people just want to brush it under the table and be too casual. It just doesn’t seen like they’re according the evening its proper respect.”
Guests at the $75-per-person “Nile” gala, which is open to the public, will enjoy dancing and an alfresco sit-down supper taken at tables set with gold and silver palm trees surrounded by sparkling jewels.
Large palms on the orchestra stage will also help provide the Egyptian ambience, which will be highlighted by a huge suspended Tutankhamen mask and gold and silver streamers swagged in the shape of a pyramid.
“This party is all about enjoying the excitement that marks the opening of the opera season,” said Patterson (who confided she won’t get too ‘costumey’ for the opera ball. “I plan to wear a gown and mask,” she said.) “It is a very elegant time for Orange County.”
It also promises to be one of Opera Pacific’s most popular seasons, opera director David DiChiera said last week at the I. Magnin fashion show.
“ ‘Aida’ is the grand opera of all grand operas. We’re already far ahead of last year’s opening-night ticket sales and subscriptions,” he said.
Ask DiChiera “why opera?” and he’ll tell you: “Opera is the consummate entertainment, because it brings all of the arts together. If one loves theater, music, then the combination of the two makes a whole that is greater than its parts.”
“Aida” is one of world’s favorite operas, according to DiChiera. “They say the three most popular operas are ‘A,B,C--Aida, Boheme and Carmen’ and it’s true.”
