“He play'd the music at the
Devil's Ball
In the Devil's hall
I saw the funniest devil that I ever saw…”
-
Irving Berlin
The Devil’s Ball is a is an annual fundraiser
thrown by our Junior Board in order to raise money and generate awareness for
the Auditorium Theatre for continued support in artistic programming,
education, and restoration efforts.
So now
you ask, why the name, “The Devil’s Ball?” We’ve had several questions about
the name lately, so we thought we’d clear up the confusion. The event was
partially named after the song At the
Devil’s Ball (1913), composed by Irving Berlin. The song offers a view of
life in a contemporary city of 1913 as exciting and glamorous. Mr. Berlin is a
very well know composer, having created the scores for Madame Butterfly, Top Hat and even White Christmas, a song featured in Holiday Inn (1935). And just as a side note, he was popular icon
within the Hollywood elite of the era; he was a very close friend and colleague
with Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Ginger Rogers. We encourage you to listen
to the song and read the full lyrics.
The Devil’s Ball
was also
inspired by the popular novel by Erik Larson and Chicago’s connection to the
1893 World’s Fair that the Auditorium Theatre was a part of. The author
actually quotes some of the features of the Auditorium in his novel: "The result was an opulent structure
that, for the moment, was the biggest private building in America. Its theater
contained more than four thousand seats, twelve hundred more than New York's Metropolitan
Opera House. And it was air-conditioned, through a system that blew air over
ice."
And
finally, although this is only the second Devil’s
Ball the Junior Board has hosted, we will continue to host the gala in the
fall, sometime around Halloween season.
So, now
you know a little bit more about this event and the reference it has not only
to the Auditorium Theatre, but also to Chicago’s history. The Devil’s Ball is a cocktail party that celebrates not only the
Auditorium, but also ‘old Chicago’ in a gala event for those 21 years of age and
above, as there will be an open bar. The Junior Board is a group of young
professionals dedicated to the preservation and restoration of our National
Historic Landmark, Auditorium Theatre. The event will also feature a
silent auction, wine raffle, heavy appetizers, guided theatre tours of the historic
Auditorium Theatre, a DJ and dancing. Plus, make a trip to our popular
return attraction, the Smilebooth. Don’t miss this opportunity to
explore Chicago in a whole new way; dance with us at the Devil’s Ball.
The
Devil’s Ball
Friday, September
28, 2012
7:30pm –
Midnight
$65
before Sept. 13
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