NY City Center

We were invited to attend a Gala Evening with Kristin Chenoweth to raise money for NY City Center.  Their annual fund raiser.  NY City Center is located on West 55th Street and in general puts on really interesting plays including the Encore productions which brings old plays back to life that the actors perform while reading their lines from a book.  Really fun and clever. 

The evening was long but interesting.  The first thing of order is honoring someone which is a standard fund raising thing.  I always push against this but people believe that if you honor someone, people will come to see them honored and give in their behalf.  I think I might have witnessed that last night.  There were serious heavy hitters in the audience.

City Center annually acknowledges someone with the Fiorello H. LaGuardia award for distinguished service to NY City Center and the city of New York.  Last night the award was presented to Dolores and Clifton Wharton.  Two incredibly interesting people who have made uncountable contributions in their lifetime.  It seems like they made an impact in anything that has crossed their path.  Dolores happened to start off her education at the Little Red School House where our kids go to school.  It was obvious from the speeches and such that it made a huge impact on her life although she only went there for seven years (there wasn't a high school then).  I found out today that she has given generously to the school and adores the place.  My guess is after reading about both her and her husband, that is part and parcel of who they are. 

The Chairman announced that they had raised 1 million dollars that evening.  The woman next to us sort of gasped and said "wow".  Fred whispered in my ear, "take a look around the room, I just saw 20 people who could write them a check for a million bucks without batting an eye, she shouldn't be so surprised".  I found it amusing. 

Then we were dazzled by Kristin Chenoweth for about an hour and a half.  She was quite good.  I am not a fan of most of the music she sang but she was engaging, funny and put on quite a show.  She knew how to work an audience.  But most important, you could tell how much it meant to her to be on the stage at an institution that has supported her career from the start.

After the event ended, we were shuttled over to the Plaza for dinner.  We walked.  The room was really old New York and magnificent.  Also, believe it or not, the food was pretty good.  Not your run of the mill rubber chicken dinner.  Thank god.

All and all, a fun evening and an interesting glimpse into a world that Fred and I rarely find ourselves in, believe it or not. Once a year is fun.