Hotel Modern and Laurie Anderson Party
The humid, sticky weather could not keep partygoers away from Wednesday night’s party in honor of the Hotel Modern performance and Laurie Anderson. As I got there a few minutes early, Spoleto staffers Taylor Webb, Asheton Montgomery, and Brenda Thomas, who I have run into throughout the festival, were eagerly awaiting guests to arrive. I ask the girls how they were holding up, and coffee and Red Bull was quickly uttered. As I chatted with the girls outside, a few patrons arrived from The Great War performance. Richard and Jill Almeida could not stop talking about the unusual live-animation performance. Jill kept saying over and over while gesturing with her hands, “I really liked, it was just something that I have never seen before.” I may need to check this out for myself. It seemed to have stirred a lot of emotion and intrigue. Ivy-covered walls formed a backdrop as I made my way into the garden party. Host Susan Bass and Tom Bradford opened their home to guests, offering Mediterranean-style cuisine and rosemary sloe gin fizzes to keep spirits and the energy high. The roasted chicken and basmati rice was a huge hit, and the baklava indulged anyone with a sweet tooth. Susan took on the task of preparing all of the food herself. No catering company in sight. As I walked around and took quite of few pictures of the overall party scene, a few guests became mesmerized with my camera. They loved the way the white square boxes focuses in on faces without having to make adjustments. I told them that it’s literally a camera for dummies. I heard the party continued on into the early morning hours.
Hungry and ready to party, cast members from both The Great War and Homeland showed up ready to have a good time. Susan had a separate food table set up for them inside so they would not have to contend with guests over the spread. She really did think of everything. At the stroke of midnight, guests gathered to sing and celebrate Laurie Anderson’s birthday. They even had a cake.
