Friday, May 24, Bedon’s Alley. Party for La Cenerentola

“This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere” – Carl Spackler, Caddyshack

The crazy thing about the Bedon’s Alley Party is the silence, deep down in the cemetery quiet of South of Broad.

And then, bam! out of nowhere: a La Cenerentola Story.

Preservationist John-Paul Huguley had it right: “There’s no place else they could have a party like this.” It’s true, the narrow buildings and the ceiling of right-on-cue Memorial Day Weekend Haze make you feel like you’re in a long hall.

This ain’t no house party. You walk in a gate, give your name, get a sparkly wrist-bracelet from Eugenia Payne and other young ladies in long black dresses, and then grab a glass of Barola off the viridian blue table that triple-threat actress Sasha Azevedo was wearing.

Waiters in Mozart wigs passed limoncello cocktails, christened “Spoleto-tinis” – (not to be confused with Piccolo Spoleto.) A light projection on a house depicted a clock about to strike midnight – some saw a clever touch, I just saw a big fat deadline reminder.

Recent college grads Jenny Feldman, Elizabeth Quattlebaum and Ashley Arana, weren’t waiting around for a prince to come – they were plotting going to med school.

Nothing could top gorgeous young doctors-to-be, nothing except for gorgeous stationers – don’t get us started on office and writing supplies! Emilie Dulles of Dulles Designs was hanging with Marni and Marcus Durlach.

Marni said Dulles Designs does Donald Trump’s stationery, which makes them “big time.”

“You can take my picture this year,” Marni said. “I’m not crashing.”

There wasn’t a lot of skipped-the-show guilt this year, the con-chen-sus was that Cenerentola is an awesome, meat-and-potatoes classic Italian opera.

In keeping with the Great Re-unification of the two festivals, the party was also back-to-Italian-roots. A panini station, lemon-herb-cream tortelloni, tiramisu, candelabras, tons of red roses. Melting ice stilettoes apparently represented a of Maguffin from the fairy tale opera.

What could be more classic Spoleto than architect Johnny Tucker and milliner Leigh Magar, grabbing some shrimp with architect Chris Rose. Leigh was wearing a “deconstructed” dress from Worthwhile by Gary Graham and a brand-new cocktail hat made of a Liberty Print fabric, with feathers and hummingbirds. Johnny was in a fedora and seersucker.

Some people go pick up their dry cleaning to get ready for a party, some people make his-and-hers hats. At this point I’d like to formally submit my picture of Tucker/Magar consideration as the Spoleto poster next year.

Didn’t even begin to recognize actress-athlete-model Sasha Azevedo out of her lady-in-the-table get up and wig. Seeing her in a vintage California tourist shirt gave me a great idea for a party theme: Hipster Brooklyn. Table top video games (Frogger!), Bugaboos loaded with PBR, organic knishes.

Anyway…

John Thompson was pumped that the cover of his book Armageddon Conspiracy, due out in October, is ready. Fellow authors Nathalie Dupree and Jack Bass posed for a picture; they insisted I count to three and then said “sex” instead of “cheese.” Did not see that coming. Food maven Nathalie praised the tiramisu as “not too coffee-y.” Historian Bass is working on Justice Abandoned, “one of the few non-celebratory books about the Supreme Court.”

The Cast of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea had the day off and were said to have spent it drinking. They were trying to get the trio to play some David Bowie or Tom Waits.

The music was curious. “Rambling Man” and “Carolina On My Mind” on the cello.

And at midnight, the big ending! Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo! David Graham of the Spoleto office (cosplayed Andy Warhol for the SCENE Party last year), came out as Cinderella/Cenerentola in a pink dress and tower of white hair, panicked and rushing but not making very good time, stopping to give these great moany screams.

Her exit music was Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “Southern Cross” You know Spoleto is on its game when you think it must be an artistic decision.

Party Index:

Correct pronunciations of “cenerentola” [CHEN-er-RENT-oh-la]: 5

Incorrect: 0

Cheeses: Lawson Roberts of White Tuxedo Events, which did all the artistic props, confirmed that Bedon’s ain’t no wine and cheese party. (Other credits: Stephen Duvall Catering, All Occasions events.)

Philip Glass mentions: 1

Laurie Anderson mentions: 1

Overheard:

“My brassiere is ringing.”(Takes phone out of right bosom.)

“We’re trying to have a baby. In fact we’re gonna do it when we get home!”