2016 GASLIGHT GALA
by Dana Gavin
This year’s Gaslight Gala—a smashing success—was held on Friday, January 15, at the elegant Manhattan Club. Courtesy of relatively mild weather from Mother Nature, the trek to the venue was comfortable. As ever, I lament that The Great Detective wasn’t determined to have been born in, say, May or September, when the weather in New York City is generally lovely. C’est la vie.
The room was appointed beautifully, bright and open now after renovations since my last time attending the Gala. Guests arrived early to enjoy libations, visit with old friends, make new ones, and peruse the tantalizing silent auction tables. I particularly relish how warm and welcoming the many Sherlockians attending the Gala always are. To me it seems one of the easiest ways to introduce new Holmesians into the fray. My first time at the Gala was a pivotal moment for me; a whole new world of fraternization opened up. As my guest for the 2016 Gaslight Gala was a rather newly minted devotee of the Master, I felt even more appreciative of how the Gala’s atmosphere lives up to the promise per their website: “open to all Sherlockians, regardless of age, scion/society affiliation, type of superpower, radio frequency, or Michelin star rating.”
Master of Ceremonies Nick Martorelli conducted the evening’s programming with wit and grace. The pacing was superb—just the right number of toasts, a mixture of entertainment genres, and still time to talk with guests around the table.
This year’s theme was “Thieves, Scoundrels, and Rogues,” which lent itself to many artful interpretations of both traditional villains of the Canon and familiar heroes. I appreciate the formality of toasting first, possibly because my local scion, The Hudson Valley Sciontists, cleaves to that tradition. I adore when other scions create their own new traditions as well, and that is perhaps what I appreciate about The Gaslight Gala. It joyfully marries tradition and experimentation.
The toasts began with Stephanie Thomas recognizing Dr. Watson. Her toast was lovely and all the more special as it was Stephanie’s first Sherlockian toast! I suspect it will not be her last. Carla Coupe admirably toasted the roguish Sherlock Holmes (I came away convinced that Holmes is a bit of a scoundrel!), and David McCallister raised a glass to the nefarious John Clay. Karen Wilson offered several well-crafted and well-performed songs. Her composition dedicated to the life and times of one Irene Adler was especially appealing.
The sumptuous buffet dinner was a welcome respite after the toasting and songs—oh, really, there can never be enough toasting! At my table, the conversation drifted from David’s toast to John Clay to professional theater exploits and then onto my concern over a very difficult quiz to come. It turned out that I was quite right to be worried.
After dinner, Joanna Levine stepped up to toast Grimesby Roylott, who surely had to be the worst villain discussed, and Mary Alcaro raised a glass to Neville St. Clair—or was that Hugh Boone? With the end of the often humorous, often thought-provoking toasts, the action shifted to a dramatic radio play reading entitled, “The Case of the Missing Vernet.”
The play certainly was the thing, but no kings were killed. The players (Steve Mason, Rusty Mason, Stu Nelan, Monica Schmidt, and David McCallister) entertained the room with a sharp yet playful mystery. As Holmes outwitted the clever art dealer, we cheered and laughed along, particularly at the sparkling faux radio commercials, including one for Les Klinger’s books. If you want to pursue a lady Holmesian, you must buy her a set of the Klinger annotated volumes, in the hope that she will “cling” to you while reading. My rendition doesn’t do justice to the hilarious performance.
After a scrumptious dessert, the winners of the evening’s raffle were announced. We next took a fantastically difficult quiz, “Scoundrels, Stinkers, and No-Goodniks,” cruelly created by Al Gregory. I got a total of 5 questions out of 27 correct! I could say that I scored 6 of 27, but that 6th one was only due to Nick Martorelli’s kind intervention.
The final performance was “Shake Hands with Villains and Rascals of the Canon” by Paul and Eileen Hartnett. A second, slightly less difficult but eminently entertaining, quiz was delivered by Mike Miller—groan-worthy puns abounded and laughter was plentiful.
The silent auction featured many unique and beautiful items, including posters, Sherlock Holmes-themed teddy bears, and crafts. Of particular note were a stunning Sherlockian silk scarf hand-painted by Laurie Frasier Manifold and a beautiful tea box made of burled wood by Joe Coppola. The winners were delighted with their treasures.
As the evening regretfully drew to a close, I was cheered to hear everyone discussing the inevitable trek to O’Lunney’s. Even as we divide ourselves for Friday night, we find a way to rejoin as soon as possible, to share stories, congratulate newly invested folk, and remember why we journeyed to New York City in January: fellowship, scholarship, and camaraderie are cornerstones of the Holmesian experience. The Gaslight Gala is a very special gateway into our oddly precious community, and this year was no exception.
A solid round of applause goes to all of the fantastic performers and presenters. Special cheers to Nick Martorelli and Chris Zordan for their work as co-chairs of the 2016 Gaslight Gala. If I didn’t have the pleasure of visiting with you at the Gaslight Gala this year, I hope to see you in 2017. To read about past Galas and to learn of future plans, visit gaslightgalanyc.wordpress.com.
