Events
Inside the Sweet Chandelier Dedication to Donald Tober at Met Opera
This week at Lincoln Center Barbara Tober hosted a naming ceremony at The Metropolitan Opera for the divinely beautiful seven lobby chandeliers. The celebration was in honor of the memory of her beloved husband, Donald Gibbs Tober.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 27: Atmosphere at Celebration of Donald Gibbs Tober at The Metropolitan Opera House on February 27, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Sean Zanni/PMC)
“Opera is the singing of a story. That is why we come to experience that special drama. You Are the Sunshine of My Life and many other songs about light and the sun, and the glory of life. We’re playing many of them during this party on the piano, Donald’s favorite instrument. Nothing is more apropos,” stated Mrs. Tober. “Donald and I had a beautiful life together. A life of love, work, travel, and art, all of which enriched our relationship and helped us grow both individually and together. Something led to the spiritual moment that greets us today. We always supported the opera, but especially now. Donald’s light will shine, in such a glorious place in the city he loved and nurtured, forever. This is the way he, and everyone else who comes through the doors, will continue to enjoy the graceful lifting of the lights each night when ‘The House’ is in play. And Peter, if these lights ever start twinkling just wave back; he’s probably just taking a walk.”
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 27: Tinu Naija, Machine Dazzle, Cheryl R. Riley, Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Erich Scherer and Barbara Winston attend Celebration of Donald Gibbs Tober at The Metropolitan Opera House on February 27, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC)
Two hundred friends gathered together at Lincoln Center as the Met’s General Manager, Peter Gelb made a toast and said, “As you know, we are here to celebrate the memory of Donald Tober with tonight’s dedication, which is the result of a generous gift to The Met from Donald’s loving wife, Barbara. Besides being the genius behind Sweet’N Low, and according to Leonard Lauder, no less, the best fellow salesman he ever knew, Donald was a world traveler, sportsman, magnanimous, philanthropist to The Met and other causes, and an avid dancer. It was here on the Grand Tier that Donald and Barbara danced under the famous Met chandeliers above us, celebrating the New Year. Following the premieres of various Met productions over the years, it was inspiration that guided Donald’s success as the business magnet of Sugar Foods. And it was a serendipitous inspiration that was responsible for The Met’s chandeliers. Their design actually was an accident. The result of an ink spill on an architectural rendering of the new Met Lobby that was on a deadline to be presented to The Met board. Thinking fast, and was no time to lose, architect Wallace Harrison’s assistants drew spokes connecting the ink spots, [laughs]. Thus, the Sputnik design for the iconic Met chandeliers, under which Donald and Barbara danced, was created. The plaque reads, in part, “May these joyful lights shine forever in memory of Donald Gibbs Tober. Love, Barbara.”
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 27: Barbara Tober and Sally Brown attend Celebration of Donald Gibbs Tober at The Metropolitan Opera House on February 27, 2023 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC/PMC)
Guest included Afsaneh Akhtari-Smith, Richard Armstrong, Carrie Barratt, Ariane Batterberry, Geoffrey Bradfield, Noreen Buckfire, Young Yang Chung, Cece Cord, Machine Dazzle (stopping by on his way to pick up an Obie), Jamie deRoy, Charles Fabius, Florence Fabricant, Helen Fioratti, Maria and Kenneth Fishel, Helen Fisher and John Tierney, Carole and John French, Mr. and Mrs. Ali Wambold, Mark Gilbertson, Archduchess Emmanuella Habsburg-Lothringen and Archduke Dominic Habsburg-Lothringen, Isabelle Harnoncourt–Feigen, Dr. and Mrs. William Haseltine, Sylvia Hemingway, Mary Hilliard, Cynthia Hornblower, Dr. Nizam Kettaneh, Michele Gerber Klein, Sheila C. Kotur, Judy Lauder, Linda Lindenbaum, Helen Little, William Ivey Long, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Manocherian, Tinu Naija, Peter Olsen, Liane Pei, Maestro Martin J. Piecuch and Elizabeth Moxley Falk, Sana Sabbagh, Dr. Brian R. Saltzman, Mr. and Mrs. Bryant W. Seaman III, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Shiah, Toni Sikes, Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Elizabeth Stribling and Guy Robinson, Oscar Tang, Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE, Saundra Whitney, Barbara Winston, Ann Ziff and many many more
Chandelier at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on December 28, 2022
The Metropolitan Opera Chandeliers is one of a number of recent memorials to Donald Tober; the Admissions Building at the Culinary Institute of America (where he served as Vice Chairman) and the board room at Citymeals-on-Wheels (where he was a founder) soon will also proudly bear his name.
G.H. Harding
WOODSTOCK COVER STARS — (Via Best Classic Bands) — Bobbi Ercoline’s name may not be familiar to most, but millions own her photograph: Bobbi, whose last name at the time was Kelly, and her then-boyfriend, Nick Ercoline, were huddled together under a quilt at the 1969 Woodstock festival when photographer Burk Uzzle snapped their picture. The couple, both then 20, were unaware that their photo had even been taken until several months later, when the three-LP Woodstock soundtrack album was released. They were among friends when they first realized the couple on the album cover was them.
“We were passing the jacket around when someone pointed out the staff with the orange and yellow butterfly,” Nick told AARP in 2019 for the organization’s magazine. “That belonged to Herbie, a guy from Huntington Beach, Calif. He was lost and having a bad trip, and we hooked arms with him until he was clear-headed. Then we saw the blanket. Oh my lord, that’s us!”
Bobbi and Nick only lasted one night at Woodstock, and never even got near the stage. They had given it their all trying to get to the festival, ditching their car when traffic became snarled and walking the final two miles. They spent most of their single day there on the hillside where the famous photo was taken.
Two years later, in 1971, they married. They remained together until Bobbi Ercoline’s death Saturday (March 18, 2023).
Nick posted the news on Facebook: “It’s with beyond great sadness that I tell my FB family and friends, that after 54 years of life together, of the death of my beautiful wife, Bobbi, last night surrounded by her family. She lived her life well, and left this world in a much better place. If you knew her, you loved her. She lived by her saying, ‘Be kind.’ As a School Nurse she always championed the kids … ALWAYS! As a person, she always gave. ‘How much do you really need if you have all you need or want?’ So she gave and gave and gave. She didn’t deserve this past year’s nightmare, but she isn’t suffering from the physical pain anymore and that brings some comfort to us.”
We’ve spoken much over the years about how that Woodstock event was so cataclysmic – culturally; musically; and certainly philosophically. Elliot Tiber wrote beautifully about it in his first book Taking Woodstock – a classic if you’ve never read it.
They tried to re-create it in 1994 and though it was good, it just didn’t have that magical flavor of the first one. I wasn’t at either, but as you can imagine, music from that 1969 concert still lives passionately today. I was, however, at Live Aid and that was my Woodstock for sure.
Not to get too poetic, but I came across a great quote yesterday: It’s worth being older now, to have been young then.
Derek And The Dominoes
SHORT TAKES — Derek & The Dominoes Bobby Whitlock on Jim Gordon: “Carl Radle and Jim Gordon … Didn’t get any better than that. The only other alternative [for Derek and the Dominoes] was Jim Keltner. And that’s who should have been the guy and who was supposed to be the guy. But it didn’t turn out that way. He was busy. The rhythm section of Carl and Jim propelled the songs we put together. Jim Gordon is the most musical drummer I ever heard. All of the drums were in tune. literally tuned to a key on the piano. Big kit. But Jim had this wonderful ability to interpret the nuances you could feel but not hear. Carl was solid as a rock. A downbeat player and right on it. So, we have Carl who is solid and down and Jim who is up and on it. So, it was perpetual motion” …
The Ides of March
Do you remember “Vehicle” by The Idea of March back in 1970? It became the fastest-selling single in Warner Brothers history. A little-known fact is that 14 seconds of the completed master of “Vehicle” was accidentally erased in the recording studio, (primarily the guitar solo), and the missing section was spliced in from a previously discarded take. The song reached #2 in Billboard, and #1 in Cashbox. The album “Vehicle” reached #55 nationally … Dolly Parton sings with Elton John on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” on her forthcoming rock ‘n roll album. I bet it’ll sound great, but how many covers of that song has there been? Maybe they should have picked a John/Taupin deep-cut like “Come Down In Time” or “Amoreena.” Just saying … Does the phrase DLYZECOMKIN mean anything to you?
Micky Dolenz
Believe it or not, in one of those crazy-jumble games online, the phrase translates into Micky Dolenz. Crazy, right? See for yourself: https://invasion24.com/2023/03/19/daily-jumble-puzzle-answers-march-19-2023/
… Speaking of Dolenz, he departs Thursday on a Flower Power Cruise; then starts his Headquarters-tour on April 1 in Orlando …
Charles F. Rosenay does the Zach Martin Big Fat American Podcast next week, for his new release, The Book of Top 10 Beatles Lists (KIWI Publishing) … HAPPY BDAY Gia Ramsey!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Carol Geiser; Bob Meyerowitz; eYada; Andy Rosen; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Paul Haig; Terry Jastrow; Anthony Pomes; Mark Bego; Charles F. Rosenay; Bill Graham; Kip Cohen; Heather Moore; Charley Crespo; [Robert Miller; John Luongo; LIME; Carl Strube; Jen Ramos; and CHIP!
Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) is proud to hit the ice at The Rink at Rockefeller Center on March 23, 2023 at 12:30pm with ITNY Ensemble members Liz Yoshiko Schmidt and Danil Berdnikov performing Lorna Brown’s Timelessness. For more information, visit icetheatre.org/calendar.html.
Events
Jason Robert Brown, Chuck Cooper, Janet Dacal, Sutton Foster, Lillias White and More To Perform at TheaterWorksUSA Spring Gala
TheaterWorksUSA, currently presenting the hit family show Dog Man The Musical at New World Stages, will host its annual Spring Gala on Monday, April 24 (cocktails begin at 6 PM) at The Current at Chelsea Piers.
100% of the net proceeds from the event will support our mission to create exceptional, transformative theatrical experiences that are accessible to young and family audiences in diverse communities across New York City and North America.
This year TWUSA will honor Lisa Chanel (TWUSA Board Chair 2019-2022), Andréa Burns (Award-winning Broadway actress & educator), Peter Flynn (TWUSA alumnus and award-winning director, writer, and educator), and Holly McGhee (Founder and Creator of Pippin Properties, New York Times best selling author). The event will feature appearances by some of Broadway’s biggest stars, including Jason Robert Brown, Chuck Cooper, Janet Dacal, Kevin Del Aguila, Sutton Foster, Lillias White and more.
On behalf of TheaterWorksUSA’s Board of Directors, we are thrilled to celebrate the people who have generously supported our mission, making it possible for us to bring high-quality theater to young audiences of all backgrounds throughout the country. We look forward to recognizing Lisa, Andréa, Peter, and Holly publicly at this very special event. – Tracy A. Stein, Board Chair
It’s a privilege to honor these individuals for playing such an important role in the work we do. Their vision, creativity, and ongoing commitment to our mission is truly something to celebrate. They are very much a part of our TheaterworksUSA family.- Barbara Pasternack, Artistic Director
TheaterWorksUSA (Barbara Pasternack, Artistic Director; Michael Harrington, Executive Director) has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. At TWUSA, we believe that access to art—and theater, in particular—is vital for our youth. Since 1961, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 140 original plays and musicals. Acclaimed alumni include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Disney’s Frozen), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Jerry Zaks (The Music Man), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen), Miguel Cervantes (Hamilton), Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America), and Chuck Cooper (Tony award-winning actor, The Life). WWW.TWUSA.ORG
-
Tech2 years agoHow to Take Advantage of Virtual Numbers for SMS
-
Business2 years agoEntre Institute Review – Is Jeff Lerner’s Program a Scam?
-
Entertainment2 years agoA Star is Born – Barvina Takes Entertainment World by Storm
-
Events3 months agoNew Year’s Eve Traditions In The US and Around The World
-
Film9 months agoElvis and The Mob Connection
-
Broadway2 years agoBroadway Reopening: The Theatre Listings
-
Spiritual2 years agoThe History of Numerology
-
Events2 years agoThe Question On Everyone’s Mind Should Be How Did The Haitians Get To Mexico
-
Family2 years agoWho Is Justine Ang Fonte and Why Are We Letting Her Near Children?
-
Broadway11 months agoFunny Girl Makes Julie Benko a Star