A Night Out: Shakespeare Theatre’s Opening

What: Opening night for Richard III

Where: Dinner at Pavilion restaurant and opening night performance at Shakespeare Theatre.

Who:  Shakespeare Theatre attracts the bold face intelligensia.  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg rarely misses an opening night—although she skipped the dinner beforehand.  Shakespeare’s billionaire benefactor Sidney Harman brought Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and his wife Meryl—after all, what would a Washington event be without an omnipresent security detail? Harmon’s other guests included Sen. Susan Collins.  Rep. Jane Harmon didn’t arrive until intermission—the House was still voting during dinner and Act I.  Also spotted in the crowd of first nighters were Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer, George Washington University President Steve Trachtenberg, University of Maryland President CD Mote, a dateless Jim Kimsey, and former DC Mayor Anthony Williams.

Food: The main course featured a hunk of lamb shank—just the thing for a play about meat eaters.

Scene: At the dinner, Williams and his wife Diane were crowned for their support of the arts. The crowns were last worn by the King and Queen of France in the theater's production of Henry V. The Chertoffs and their security detail slipped away at intermission.

Ratings:
Bold Face names: 4 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 4 (out of 5)
Food/Drinks: 4 (out of 5)
Exclusivity: 4 (out of 5)

Total Score: 16 (out of 20)

Leslie Milk