During the Arts Ball, it looked like someone had dropped a giant box of Skittles at the converted church that houses Newton’s New Art Center. The dress code was “come as your favorite color,” which resulted in groups of people resembling gay pride flags, and the invitation urged guests to bring ribbon, yarn and other materials to weave into a collaborative artwork that one attendee got to take home.
An elaborate dinner was followed by a jam-packed dance party, and among the throng were arts aficionada Francesca Piper Koss, fine wine expert Marie Keep and her landscape designer husband, Jonathan, hotel mogul Robin Brown and the luscious Marcia, ICA mouthpiece Kate Shamon and her cue-ball husband, Andy Rushford, bicoastal Brahmin Sukey Forbes and the dead sexy Kevin O’Leary, design avatar Urit Chaimovitz, and Skinner Auctioneers head honcha Karen Keane, whose husband, Dan Elias, runs the joint.
The dance floor sizzled with suburbanites bustin’ their illest moves, and despite a rather hilarious conversation about circumcision, the evening’s funniest remark came from a woman accused of ignoring the evening’s theme, who replied, “I did not. Diamonds are my favorite color.”
(Left: Sukey Forbes and Kevin O’Leary; Right: Marie Keep)
There are opening nights, and then there are Opening Nights, and it was definitely the latter when Boston Ballet premiered its brand-new production of Swan Lake.
At the Avery Bar at the Ritz, a cocktail reception congratulating artistic director Mikko Nissinen and his hot new executive director, Max Hodges, drew their opposite numbers at the National Ballet of Canada, Karen Kain and Barry Hughson, power pair Richard and Diane Schmalensee, design mogul Denise Korn, the ubiquitous Janet Wu, brunette stunner Eve Rounds, ballet booster Mark Goldweitz and both of his beautiful wives, Joyce (the current) and Jill (the ex), the latter’s suave main man, Morris Levitt, board chair Jack Meyer, petite bombshell Lisa Blumenthal and her handsome other half, Tom, the uber-fabulous Pam Lazares, Beacon Hillions Liz and Peter Georgantas, and every other balletomane and dance enthusiast in Boston.
After imbibing freely, everyone headed over to the Opera House for the world premiere, which earned an insane standing ovation, followed by a party back at the Ritz, the likes of which one rarely sees on a school night.
In the midst of all the dancing and drinking, one guest said, “A lot of women seem to have opted for the black swan look this evening,” to which her friend responded, “Yes. But a few of them look more like geese.”
Left: Lia, Mimi and Jeffrey Cirio; Middle: Max Hodges and Mike Ross; Right: Barry Hughson and Sabi Varga
Everyone can agree that cancer sucks, but rare cancers especially suck, since there are fewer treatment options and lower survival rates.
The TargetCancer Foundation, which addresses this problem, hosted its annual gala at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, which is much less corporate and way sexier than it sounds. Tasting stations dotted the space-age interior, where one could mingle with the likes of the organization’s head honcho, Jim Palma, and his sister, Kristen Poth (whose husband’s death spurred the foundation’s creation), Cambridge yummy mummy Liza Tague and her finance guru husband, James, rock-star researcher James Bradner, emcee Susan Wornick, tireless do-gooders Stephen Weiner and Donald Cornuet, bubbler mogul Simon O’Leary with toothsome blonde Chris Cardwell, celebrity chef Chris Fischer (whose Martha’s Vineyard restaurant, the Beach Plum, provided the food), newly elected state Rep. Michael Day, enough lawyers to fill a courthouse and a lot of people who spend their days trying to kill cancer in people and their nights trying to keep it alive in a petri dish.
Between the lobster rolls, the raw bar, the cheese board and the dessert buffet, there was more to eat than a Sunday night at an Italian grandmother’s, and the jazz trio was worth the price of admission.
The evening’s archest remark: “You live in Wayland? What an easy commute! It only takes what—four hours?”
Left: James Bradner and Jim Palma; Right: James and Liza Tague
Rainbow Connections
Missives From the Jet Set
By Jonathan Soroff | Nov. 21, 2014
Roy G. Biv
During the Arts Ball, it looked like someone had dropped a giant box of Skittles at the converted church that houses Newton’s New Art Center. The dress code was “come as your favorite color,” which resulted in groups of people resembling gay pride flags, and the invitation urged guests to bring ribbon, yarn and other materials to weave into a collaborative artwork that one attendee got to take home.
An elaborate dinner was followed by a jam-packed dance party, and among the throng were arts aficionada Francesca Piper Koss, fine wine expert Marie Keep and her landscape designer husband, Jonathan, hotel mogul Robin Brown and the luscious Marcia, ICA mouthpiece Kate Shamon and her cue-ball husband, Andy Rushford, bicoastal Brahmin Sukey Forbes and the dead sexy Kevin O’Leary, design avatar Urit Chaimovitz, and Skinner Auctioneers head honcha Karen Keane, whose husband, Dan Elias, runs the joint.
The dance floor sizzled with suburbanites bustin’ their illest moves, and despite a rather hilarious conversation about circumcision, the evening’s funniest remark came from a woman accused of ignoring the evening’s theme, who replied, “I did not. Diamonds are my favorite color.”
(Left: Sukey Forbes and Kevin O’Leary; Right: Marie Keep)
Paging Natalie Portman
There are opening nights, and then there are Opening Nights, and it was definitely the latter when Boston Ballet premiered its brand-new production of Swan Lake.
At the Avery Bar at the Ritz, a cocktail reception congratulating artistic director Mikko Nissinen and his hot new executive director, Max Hodges, drew their opposite numbers at the National Ballet of Canada, Karen Kain and Barry Hughson, power pair Richard and Diane Schmalensee, design mogul Denise Korn, the ubiquitous Janet Wu, brunette stunner Eve Rounds, ballet booster Mark Goldweitz and both of his beautiful wives, Joyce (the current) and Jill (the ex), the latter’s suave main man, Morris Levitt, board chair Jack Meyer, petite bombshell Lisa Blumenthal and her handsome other half, Tom, the uber-fabulous Pam Lazares, Beacon Hillions Liz and Peter Georgantas, and every other balletomane and dance enthusiast in Boston.
After imbibing freely, everyone headed over to the Opera House for the world premiere, which earned an insane standing ovation, followed by a party back at the Ritz, the likes of which one rarely sees on a school night.
In the midst of all the dancing and drinking, one guest said, “A lot of women seem to have opted for the black swan look this evening,” to which her friend responded, “Yes. But a few of them look more like geese.”
Left: Lia, Mimi and Jeffrey Cirio; Middle: Max Hodges and Mike Ross; Right: Barry Hughson and Sabi Varga
Beats Worcester
Everyone can agree that cancer sucks, but rare cancers especially suck, since there are fewer treatment options and lower survival rates.
The TargetCancer Foundation, which addresses this problem, hosted its annual gala at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, which is much less corporate and way sexier than it sounds. Tasting stations dotted the space-age interior, where one could mingle with the likes of the organization’s head honcho, Jim Palma, and his sister, Kristen Poth (whose husband’s death spurred the foundation’s creation), Cambridge yummy mummy Liza Tague and her finance guru husband, James, rock-star researcher James Bradner, emcee Susan Wornick, tireless do-gooders Stephen Weiner and Donald Cornuet, bubbler mogul Simon O’Leary with toothsome blonde Chris Cardwell, celebrity chef Chris Fischer (whose Martha’s Vineyard restaurant, the Beach Plum, provided the food), newly elected state Rep. Michael Day, enough lawyers to fill a courthouse and a lot of people who spend their days trying to kill cancer in people and their nights trying to keep it alive in a petri dish.
Between the lobster rolls, the raw bar, the cheese board and the dessert buffet, there was more to eat than a Sunday night at an Italian grandmother’s, and the jazz trio was worth the price of admission.
The evening’s archest remark: “You live in Wayland? What an easy commute! It only takes what—four hours?”
Left: James Bradner and Jim Palma; Right: James and Liza Tague
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