Social Scene

Mary Bird • September 12, 2013

At the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s star studded Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala on Oct. 15, F. Murray Abraham received the prestigious Will Award honoring his significant con- tribution to classical theatre in America. Tributes were read from Kevin Spacey and Abraham’s “Amadeus” co-star Tom Hulce. Jerry Stiller brought down the house calling the actor’s tirade to upgrade his room a “better performance in a London hotel than in ‘Amadeus.’ ” After the program that included performances by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Bill Irwin and Ted Van Griethuysen in a scene from King Lear and a surprise appearance by Christine Ebersole, guests joined in a “cel- ebration parade” to the National Building Museum for dinner and dancing at a Gala After Hours. [gallery ids="101039,136292,136287,136282,136264,136277,136270" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Shepherdstown, West Virginia, honored its fetching canines with the first annual DogFest on Aug. 17 and 18. Opening day events included a Dog Day 5K race, dog training tips, a hot dog eating contest sponsored by Food Lion and a dog show sponsored by Petco. The furry participants strode the red carpet before a benevolent panel of judges as Roman Holton emceed categories including Cutest Dog, Most Talented Dog, Biggest Heart and Best in Show, won by Hershey, a stunning labradoodle. A paw print logo on shops and restaurants welcomed attendees with dog-themed merchandise and menu items. Bistro 112 offered hush puppies and French Poodle martinis.
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Georgetowner •

Michael Kaiser (left), president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, married economist John Roberts Aug. 31 at the Kennedy Center in a ceremony officiated by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The first Supreme Court justice to preside over a same-sex wedding, Ginsburg is a friend of Kaiser, of the Kennedy Center and of the Washington National Opera. Ginsburg called Kaiser “a friend and someone I much admire” in a statement to the media. “That is why I am officiating at his wedding.”

Louisa Woodville • August 21, 2013

Edward Julius Berwind would have been beaming on the evening of Aug. 3, when almost 600 guests enjoyed a Summer Venetian Masked Ball in Newport, R.I., at what was once his summer residence, the Elms. The Philadelphia coal magnate built the $1.4-million mansion on Bellevue Avenue in 1901, envisioning it as a social hub for summer society. The Rococo-inspired “cottage” brilliantly fulfilled this mission during Newport’s gilded age as well as for the recent gala, hosted by the Newport Preservation Society.

“It was one of the loveliest parties the Preservation Society has ever given,” said Monty Burnham, a board member and treasurer of the non-profit.  “It was a perfect evening—the music was glorious, the masks fabulous, and the décor was especially good.”

Monty and her husband Richard Burnham of Cleveland Park were just some of the Washingtonians on hand to celebrate the evening, an occasion that heralded the return of six 18th-century Venetian paintings to the estate. Other Washington notables who attended included board member Sarah Gewirz and her husband Bernard S. Gewirz  of Chevy Chase, Md, Ruth H. Buchanan of Washington D.C., Edith Brewster and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., with his wife Sandra.

The setting for the gala was, in a word, magnificent, with distractions at every turn. Actors painted from head to toe in silver and gold danced silently, anchored to the pedestals from which they pivoted. Stately candelabra held flickering candles that lit the night as the sun set. Guests, bedecked and bejeweled, peeked out from behind elaborate masks, feathers and sparkles complementing elaborate ball gowns. Servers offered tempting hors d’oeuvres of tuna tartare and lobster salad.

Venetian paintings, however, were the draw. Two large canvases by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741) greeted guests in front entryway, depicting two scenes from the life of Scipio Africanus, the ancient Roman general who defeated Hannibal. Sebastiano Ricci and Antonio Molinari continued the narrative on canvases displayed in the dining room. The works—ten in all and the largest series of Venetian paintings in the United States—were originally commissioned in 1701 by the powerful Bernardo Corner, also a general and, additionally, a member of the Venetian ruling council of ten. Claiming kinship with Africanus, Corner sought to visually associate his family’s deeds, also depicted, with the legendary Roman’s.

Designer Jules Allard of Paris acquired the paintings from the Ca’ Corner in Venice at the turn of the last century specifically for the Berwind summer house. When Edward’s sister Julia Berwind died in 1961, a developer bought the property, and its contents—including six of the ten paintings—went on the auction block. (The developer intended to build a shopping mall, but the Preservation Society thwarted his plans.)

‘‘It rarely happens, the reuniting of art on this scale,” said John Tschirch, director of museum affairs at the Preservation Society of Newport County, which bought the last of the ten paintings in 2012.

“The return of the last of the missing paintings to the dining room makes the Elms a ‘don’t-miss’ experience in Newport this year,” echoed Trudy Coxe, CEO and executive director. Proceeds from the Aug. 3 event will help endow a fund for fellows to research the art and architecture that the Preservation Society oversees, which include eleven properties dating from the Colonial period to the Gilded Age, and help convert what is now the carriage house at the Elms into a scholars’ center. [gallery ids="101426,154670,154672" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

The ladies of Sip With Socialites raised funds for Second Chance Employment Services Aug. 4 at the newly renovated Nick’s Riverside Grille at Washington Harbour. Brunch attendees received a gift certificate for a “Perlman” signature facial, compliments of Med Spa at Dr. Ronald S. Perlman. Trish McEvoy of Nordstrom at Montgomery Mall provided makeup touch-ups. Other gifts included a certificate to Nick’s Riverside Grille and one to Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place as well as tickets to Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves. [gallery ids="101430,154598,154600,154594,154590" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

On Aug. 7, chef and owner Victor Albisu hosted a happy hour for supporters of the Capital Area Food Bank at Del Campo, where first lady Michelle Obama and two guests had lunched the previous day. Discounted tickets were available for the Grand Tasting Pavilion on Nov. 3, a new feature of the Metro Cooking DC Cooking & Entertaining Show at the Washington Convention Center, which will feature 40 of D.C.’s outstanding eateries with a portion of ticket proceeds donated to the Capital Area Food Bank to help their fight against hunger in our area. [gallery ids="101428,154650,154627,154632,154636,154639,154648,154644" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

In honor of Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes, on Aug. 11 DTSBC performed the premiere of Revenant Elegy on the East Building mezzanine. The work, a visual and psychological exploration of “inner landscape,” was inspired by the hidden attitudes about youth and aging in George Balanchine’s Le Bal from the Ballet Russes’ final 1929 season. Artistic director Burgess is chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at George Washington University and a cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State. His company has appeared at the United Nations, the White House and internationally.
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Mary Bird • August 15, 2013

The Women’s Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts held its first meeting of the year at Bulgari in Chevy Chase Jan. 18. The meeting was devoted to auction items for the April 26 gala celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary. Women’s committee president Fran Usher welcomed NMWA Founder Wilhelmina Holladay, Women’s Committee founder Ruthanna Weber, Ambassador of Bulgaria Elena Poptodorova, former Ambassador of Macedonia Ljubica Acevska Novello and Gamila Karjawally, who had been the liaison with Bulgari. Store Manager Andrea Mitchell showed a video and discussed the collection. Guests then enjoyed Bellinis and canapés prepared by Design Cuisine. [gallery ids="101138,140575,140570" nav="thumbs"]