D.C.’s Grand Dame of the Arts, Judith Terra, tossed a captivating reception, Saturday evening, for the 15th anniversary of the Shakespeare Theatre’s productions at Carter Barron. Stage right- – who should stroll into Terra’s refurbished White Oaks mansion but the young and charming Adrian Fenty, who’s bent on booting Mayor Williams out of office. The Bard would have reveled in the irony.
“Welcome to Ward Four, everyone,” chuckled Terra’s neighbor as the candidate and his wife, Michelle, greeted the well-heeled set, many of whom drove over from tony Georgetown and upscale Cleveland Park. Inquiring minds immediately wanted to know- – what is Fenty?s favorite Shakespeare play? “Henry the IV, Part II,” responded the councilman without missing his cue.
The plot is thick with rebellion, succession and treachery. Not so different from D.C. politics. But if Fenty is Hal, who will be his Falstaff?
Co-host, Shakespeare Theatre Artistic Director Michael Kahn, in true Shakespeare fashion, said he had a spot on his suit jacket from a spilled bit of food or drink and tried to rub it off (“Out, damned spot!”- – Macbeth). “Wear it well,” one guest urged.
The mix of guests made for an interesting cast – the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon and his wife, Anne; Mrs. Ibrahim Kamara, the wife of Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the U.S.; David Abshire, former ambassador to NATO; Zhigang Chen, president of the America China Development; Democrat hostess Esther Coopersmith; author Alexandra (Mrs. Arnaud) de Borchgrave, and Robert Linowes, who helped jump start the Shakespeare program at Carter Barron. Guests then ambled across Colorado Avenue for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the amphitheatre, where every seat was filled and the price was right – free to all. In 15 years, more than half-a-million people have seen Shakespeare?s plays under the stars at Carter Barron.
Timely reunion: more deep throat on Deep Throat
Some three dozen onetime friends and colleagues of President Nixon’s late law partner, campaign manager, and attorney general, John Mitchell who served 19 months in prison for Watergate related crimes – gathered for dinner at the very private and historic George Town Club, Thursday evening. The annual event a reunion of sorts organized by Dick Herman happened to fall in the wake of Mark Felt’s revelation that he was “Deep Throat.” Among those veteran Republicans joining in the festivities: former House GOP leader Bob Michel, lobbyist Bill Timmons, and political consultant Lyn Nofziger, Robert Odle, who was involved in CREEP (committee to re-elect the President), as well as some Mitchell justice department officials including his assistant attorney general Jerris Leonard. My source tells me “the walls were burning about who may have been Felt’s ‘deep throat’ in the White House itself. Former White House counsel John Dean was home in California, but his ears should have been ablaze.
James Rosen, Fox News Channel’s White House correspondent, spoke to the group about his upcoming book: “The Strong Man: John Mitchell, Nixon and Watergate.” The rest of us will have to wait for Rosen’s unique spin until July 2006 when it’s scheduled to be published by Doubleday. My source raved about Rosen?s presentation. By the way, Rosen also points to a memo saying that now Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah), then with a CIA-owned company, was a Woodward source.