GET ON YOUR FEET!
Local music lovers like Ginny Mancini hit the Hollywood Bowl for a dazzling opening night. It featured everyone from Miami’s Gloria Estefan and Big Easy crooner Harry Connick Jr. to Oscar winners Helen Mirren and Hilary Swank.
Guests gathered for a VIP cocktail bash on the patio where they sipped zesty gazpacho shooters and munched on mini grilled cheese Sammys. Deep purple was the evening’s signature color and the tables were piled high with elegant arrangements of orchids, iris, peonies and tulips. Fashion statements spanned the spectrum with topsiders, vintage Hawaiian shirts, seersucker blazers and bow ties as well as Gucci loafers, Pucci prints and breezy designer frocks.
L.A. Phil and Hollywood Bowl fans caught up with old pals while history buffs took a stroll down memory lane. An entire wall was devoted to pics from days gone by. There was a 1921 sunrise service, a 1953 appearance by Marilyn Monroe, a river rolling, booty-shaking Tina Turner and today’s latest and greatest superstar-Gustavo “The Dude” Dudamel.
My personal fave was the Fab Four’s famous Beatlemania concert in 1964. I was a 7-year-old situated in a box with my parents dreaming of a date with Paul McCartney. It turns out that my future husband was also there as an usher trying to keep hysterical teens in their seats. Who knew that when he popped the question decades later, my response would be, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
The musical memories continue this summer starting with the Bowl’s 90th anniversary Hall of Fame concert. We made our way to the boxes where celeb chef Joachim Splichal whipped up a posh outdoor picnic. Gala guests tucked into rosemary-grilled asparagus with heirloom tomatoes followed by a mouthwatering sirloin served with a fennel and apricot mustard sauce.
As famed architect Frank Gehry made his way to the front row, dessert was served. In keeping with the evening’s color scheme, it was a futuristic blueberry creation that looked like something Lady Gaga might wear on a night out.
At twilight, it was show time. Conductor Thomas Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra kicked things off with Dmitry Kabalevsky’s “Colas Breugnon.”
Next, Dame Helen Mirren took the stage to introduce a sneak peak at Cirque du Soleil’s latest production called “IRIS.”
After some impressive, torso-twisting moves, New Orleans native son Harry Connick Jr. wowed the crowds as the evening’s first inductee into the hall of fame. Handsome Harry served up classic American standards like “You Don’t Know Me,” “It Had To Be You” and “The Way You Look Tonight” as well as the Beatles’ “And I Love Her.” The Crescent City crooner wrapped it up with a tribute to his beloved hometown, singing “Bourbon Street Parade” and “Mardi Gras in New Orleans.”
He joins an impressive roster of Hollywood Bowl Hall of Famers including locals Bonnie Raitt, the Smothers Brothers and Henry Mancini.
Following intermission, they celebrated the stars of tomorrow with a performance by young musicians from the James A. Foshay Learning Center and West Adams Preparatory High School.
Gloria Estefan was up next, adding even more sizzle to the soirée. The Hall of Fame’s second inductee of the evening performed “Get On Your Feet” and “Mi Tierra” before teaming up with Harry for a duet of “Come Rain or Come Shine.”
The electrifying evening went out with a bang. Gloria belted out her mega hit “Conga” amid a full fireworks display.
The gala raised a whopping $1.25 million for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s education programs, which keep music alive in schools across L.A.