Happily, autumn has arrived, and with it
a flurry of gala invitations to fabulous parties – aka GO Girl
column fodder. On Tuesday night, GO Girl gratefully stashed her
invite to the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s "2005 Next Wave
Gala" in her ruffled handbag, slipped on her impossibly
high heels and staggered off to Fort Greene.
Under normal circumstances, GO Girl is loathe to substitute her
signature gin martini for another cocktail, but in celebration
of the imminent performance of Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo,
she cheerfully accepted a caipirinha, Brazil’s intoxicating national
drink. (Of course it didn’t hurt that it was being proffered
by a handsome representative of the Leblon spirit company who
made the distillation of cachaca – made from pure natural cane
– sound very sweet indeed.)
Those who sampled those caipirinhas soon found that it wasn’t
just their limes getting muddled. They quickly forgot the pain
from their fabulous shoes – and their hair dampened by the Nor’easter
raging outside – and attempted to focus on the evening’s opening
remarks.
Most memorable was Armani Chief Operating Officer Roberto Pesaro.
His company attached the teeniest of gold keys to each of the
evening’s giftbags, one of which may unlock a $10,000 fall-winter
wardrobe at the Giorgio Armani boutique on Madison Avenue.
Grazie mille, Giorgio!
Inside the BAM opera house, the star-studded audience applauded
raucously for Grupo Corpo’s U.S. premieres of "Lecuona,"
an incredibly sexy series of couples performing intricate, precise
ballroom dance as if their hard bodies were made of warm taffy,
and "Onqoto," an edge-of-your-seat riot of contemporary
dance that positively galvanized the gala-goers.
Unlike the surely-shocked spectators in row A, GO Girl was –
appropriately enough – seated in row G, so she didn’t have to
worry about how to arrange her facial features upon the revelation
of the full frontal nudity orchestrated by Grupo Corpo’s avant
garde choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. (Your last chance to
catch a glimpse is Oct. 29!)
But GO Girl digresses. She knows you are asking, "What about
the celebrities?"
Well, as if becoming familiar with the anatomy of exquisitely
sculpted South American dancers wasn’t already pupil-popping
enough, GO Girl risked more ocular strain when she spotted her
first piece of eye candy in the audience. At intermission, Mikhail
Baryshnikov – dancer, choreographer, and Carrie’s Russian heart
throb on "Sex and the City" – tried, but couldn’t,
say "nyet" to GO Girl’s eye-lash batting plea for a
quote about the evening’s performance.
In his expert opinion, Baryshnikov deemed the show: "Wonderful!
It’s wonderful!" Then he danced with GO Girl down the theater’s
aisle. (Or perhaps that last part was a caipirinha-induced hallucination?)
Even tastier than scrambling to catch the pearls from Misha’s
mouth was the post-show chow provided by Great Performances at
Skylight in Manhattan. In a cavernous space made intimate by
artfully lit hanging screens, actress Glenn Close shared a table
with fellow thespian Isabelle Huppert.
Close said she took on the mantle of gala chair, in part, "Because
Armani asked me to!" before shooting a heart-melting smile
at her tablemate, Armani COO Pesaro.
"BAM is one of the most vital cultural centers in New York,"
she declared. "What’s so fantastic is they bring this fantastic
range together -there’s this dance company from Brazil and a
theater company from Sweden and a very good film program."
It’s possible that GO Girl readers will be seeing more of Close
in the future.
"I’m on the board of the Sundance Institute, and we’re working
together with BAM on a program about Sundance’s 25th anniversary,"
she explained.
Swathed in black velvet, just like GO Girl, Close waxed nostalgic
about performing at BAM early in her career in a production of
"The Crazy Locomotive," directed by Des McAnuff, who
Close said was making his New York directing debut at the time.
She pointed out that McAnuff, like her three-time Tony Award-winning
self, has since seen much success on the Big White Way.
Making her U.S. theatrical debut in "4.48 Psychose"
at the BAM Harvey this week, French screen siren Huppert wore
a school marm-like white, ruffled blouse that was much improved
by her ooh la la fur coat.
Huppert likened the shabby chic decor of the BAM Harvey to that
of the Theatre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, where she originated
her role in "4.48 Psychose," directed by Claude Regy.
"It’s so familiar to me," said the charmingly freckled
actress. "I feel like we’re back to where we created the
play three years ago." Huppert, who’s worked with seemingly
everyone (Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Cimino, Claude Chabrol), said
that her very demanding role prevented her from getting around
Brooklyn much during the play’s run.
"I must keep my focus," said the acclaimed actress
through her fabulous French accent.
More flashbulbs erupted like strobe lights when glamazon and
Armani ambassador Eugenia Silva flashed her pearly whites. Not
so available to the paparazzi were the now-you-see-them, now-you-don’t,
are-they-back-together-we-don’t-know-because-they’ve-fled-couple,
Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson.
And a sure sign that you’re at a great party, actual royalty
arrived at the soiree, this time in the form of a pouting Princess
Alexandra of Greece. Alexandra must have said, "It’s all
Greek to me," when she read "festive dress" on
the invite because she arrived in her pea-coat, which would have
been appropriate for a party on Red Hook’s docks rather than
this gallery brimming with well-heeled arts patrons.
Too soon, it was time to leave. As GO Girl stumbled out into
the chilly night – sated by a fantastic show, celebrity sightings
and steak – she lugged her substantial Giorgio Armani giftbag,
which now held her impossibly high-heeled shoes, and gleefully
entered the date of the next "BAM Spring Gala" – March
23, 2006 – in her PDA.
Tickets to the "BAM Spring Gala" are $300 per couple
for the cocktail reception and performance and $1,500 per couple
to the reception, performance and dinner. For more information
about the gala, call (718) 636-4182.
