The Crowd: Make it 51 for South Coast Repertory
The 2015 social season on the Orange Coast was launched with panache by South Coast Repertory.
In anticipation of the theater’s 51st season, patrons gathered for a chic kick-off party in the breathtaking contemporary residence of Sarah and Thom McElroy. The hosts welcomed the crowd to their Irvine Cove ocean-view modern masterpiece, featured in the July issue of Architectural Digest.
The residence, designed by Steven Ehrlich, is a single-story California mid-century modern-style home with glass walls that slide open, dramatically uniting the interior and exterior spaces.
It was the perfect setting to announce the start of the social season on the coast and, in particular, to spread the word about SCR’s upcoming “Grand Illusions” gala, which will unfold Sept. 13 and will be chaired by the super-dynamic Olivia Johnson.
Crème de la Crème greeted the arriving crush with fabulous hors d’oeuvres while bartenders set up by the McElroy pool, a work of art in itself, mixed martinis prepared with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The Newport Peninsula’s Barbara and David Cline spread the word about the gala.
They joined SCR board president Sophie Cripe and managing director Paula Tomei sharing insight into the upcoming season. Artistic director Marc Masterson also charmed the patron crowd with his infectious positive personality. Generous Newport-Mesa citizens supporting Johnson’s efforts include Carl Neisser, Tom Rogers, William Weinberg, Socorro Vasquez, Bette Aitken, Barbara Glabman, Tracy Kirwan and Nola Schneer.
Also front and center for SCR were Jan Seitz Jashinski, Gail Doe, Teri Kennady, Elaine Weinberg and Ardelle St. George, to name only a few. Spotted in the handsome kick-off crowd were Newport-Mesa social standouts including Carolyn and Bill Klein, Jane and Richard Taylor, Tammy and Sam Tang, Mary Ann Brown, Laurie Smits Staude and Julie Ann and Jim Ulcickas.
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Noble Vikings celebrate the end of summer
Closing the chapter on a near-perfect summer on the Orange Coast, members of the Noble Viking Charities of Orange County gathered for an August summer bash held on the outdoor terrace of the Island Hotel Newport Beach.
The summer party, which brings together longtime gentlemen members of the Viking Charities along with their wives and significant others, has a serious fundraising purpose. More than $40,000 was raised, which will benefit the Vikings’ annual holiday food-packing efforts for needy families in Orange County.
For more than half a century, the Vikings have served thousands of disadvantaged children and adults in both Los Angeles and Orange County. The charity was founded in Los Angeles under the auspices of the renowned late restaurateur Ken Hanson of Scandia on Sunset Boulevard.
Hanson’s protégé, the late and much-admired Hans Prager, former owner of the Ritz Restaurant in Newport Beach, launched the Orange County Vikings in 1984. Today, the group serves more than 12,000 underprivileged families in Orange County each holiday season.
Significant donors included Mary Jo Hausman and the Hausman Foundation, Aleks and Stacy Renshaw, and corporate sponsors including Bianchi Winery, Simple Green and Roy’s Restaurants. Spotted in the crowd were Rick Scott, president of Roy’s Restaurants, Bob and Sue Henke, Danny Thomas, Dick and Adrienne Thomas, Wayne and Sherry Smith, Sonny and Diane Jensen, Kristilyn Goff and John Postma, and Frank Di Bella.
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Crystal Cove Alliance goes back to the beach
A 12th annual celebration for the Crystal Cove Alliance will unfold Sept. 27, fronting the Pacific Ocean at Crystal Cove State Park. The gala will be presented by the Resort at Pelican Hill and it returns to the sand adjacent to the restored cottages of the Crystal Cove Historic District.
The on-the-sand beach party was the original format for the Crystal Cove Alliance, which, over the years, grew larger and larger and was produced in a massive tent on the oceanfront for the past four years.
Alliance founders, including Laura Davick, are taking the party back to the beach. The beach party will begin with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres created and served by the Montage in Laguna Beach as the sunset falls over the Pacific.
The crowd will dine at tables in the sand, enjoying an al fresco three-course gourmet dinner prepared by Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Dubray of the Resort at Pelican Hill. Individual gala tickets are priced at $375. For information about the Crystal Cove Alliance and the gala, go to https://www.crystalcovealliance.org/gala.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
