All the World’s a Stage

What: Alley Theatre Ball, themed Much Ado About the Alley, Celebrating the Art of Theatre.

Where: NRG Stadium.

Who: Chairmen Mady and Ken Kades; honoree Margaret Williams; entertainment chair Beth Madison, who underwrote the appearance of the late-night king; host committee chairmen Beth Wolff, and Jo and Jim Furr; late-night party chairmen David Peck, and David and Luis Bamford–Perez; galleries chair Geri Hooks, who curated the special exhibition of silent auction artwork donated by iconic Houston galleries and their artists; and the Alley’s illustrious artistic director Gregory Boyd and managing director Dean Gladden, with respective dates actress Josie de Guzman, in from Manhattan, and Jane Gladden.

PC Moment: Headliner Jay Leno entertained black-tie-attired gala-goers at this final soirée before the restored Alley makes its grand reveal this fall, after a $46.5 million renovation. The silent auction boasted trips to Paris, the Big Apple and Costa Rica, as well as the opportunity to drive a Formula 1 race car. The evening marked the second year in a row that the ball generated an over-the-top $1 million for the Alley’s coffers. As the grand finale, Leno quipped about coming short with an audience of 600 — instead of the 65,000-plus capacity of the vast playing field at NRG.