SCR Blast Is From the Cast at Head Table

The power blast. Orange County witnessed one of its most explosive last week when Margaret Thatcher dined hush-hush with local dignitaries at the Center Club after a tour of South Coast Plaza. (More about that later.)

Come Sept. 14, Orange County will see another when the past presidents of South Coast Repertory chair the gala that launches the local social season.

An 11-member powerhouse at the helm of one blast? Unheard of. Getting one heavy hitter to chair a fund-raising gala is hard enough.

But they --Judge Donald Smallwood, Peter Ochs, Arden Flamson, John O’Donnell, Tom Peckenpaugh, Ron Merriman, Stewart Woodard, Geoffrey Stack, Kae Ewing, Eric Wittenberg, Maury DeWald--have all said “ oui. “ And the staff at SCR is screaming “ ooh la-la .”

There are whispers that SCR is pulling out the stops in order to compete with the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s fifth anniversary celebration, set for the end of September. Big Names attract Big Bucks, they say, and there’s only so much party-money to go around. (FYI: SCR nixed its participation in the Center’s benefit galas--one sponsored by the Center board, two by Opera Pacific, Pacific Symphony, and the Orange County Philharmonic Society.)

But it’s not so, says David Emmes, director with Martin Benson, of SCR. “Prior to our invitation from the Center to include us in their (gala) festivities, we had been discussing our gala leadership for this year.

“We had special concerns about the world situation, the recession, the war in the Mideast. It struck us that our gala would require a special leadership, given the fact that we were in a war and didn’t know when it would end.”

Emmes concedes that SCR finds itself in a delicate position, wanting to attract a six-figure take at the same time the Center board is asking from $500 to $2,500 for its Viennese Ball in Segerstrom Hall.

“But we’ve been doing our gala for a decade,” Emmes said. “And it’s something we felt we wanted to continue. We didn’t feel we could sell two evenings in the same month.”

Last year’s $350-per-person gala poured $150,000 into the theater’s coffers. Emmes is hoping SCR can do as well this year. “This event is an important part of launching our season and recognizing our supporters,” he said.

“We have no negative feelings toward the Center. It’s important for them to have their celebration. The Center has been a tremendous addition to the cultural life of Orange County. And it has had a beneficial effect on organizations performing there and on the arts in general. But we are separate and unique. We are not a major tenant of the Center. We have our own identity.”

What do you say after you say hello? James Roosevelt, the eldest son of F.D.R., knew exactly what to say to Margaret Thatcher after he met her last week at Tiffany & Co. during her tour of South Coast Plaza. He told her what a pleasure it was to meet her, asked how she liked California. But Thatcher, noted an observer, was so overcome at meeting the son of Britain’s chief ally during WWII, she was speechless. After she recovered, she told the Newport Beach resident that she adored the Golden State, loved attending former President Reagan’s 80th birthday party, and hoped to return. . . .

Later, at the private dinner hosted impeccably by Renee and Henry Segerstrom at the Center Club, Gaddi Vasquez--chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors--found himself sitting next to the former prime minister (looking regal in royal purple, a string of pearls, and a diamond pin). “It took me a half an hour to get over the excitement of knowing I am sitting here ,” says Vasquez. “For me, it was the thrill of a lifetime. I have always admired Mrs. Thatcher’s tremendous courage and leadership. We talked about everything from the war in the Persian Gulf to children--hers and my son, Jason.

“One of the things she told me was how amazed she was at the prosperity and strength she had observed in Orange County. She was very impressed. Her question, in the form of a statement, was: ‘It seems like this county does not feel the effects of the recession.’

“Then we talked about Orange County’s diverse industrial and corporate base and how it allows Orange County some tolerance to a recession. She was very interested in that part of it. She’s very interested in trade.”

Vasquez’s wife, Elaine, was among the dinner guests. During the festivities, Elaine gave Gaddi the eye, he said, her way of reminding him to get Thatcher’s autograph for their son. “I did it; I asked her for an autograph,” he said.

Also among guests at the power blast at the Center Club (which Thatcher pronounced “quite beautiful,” according to manager Joe Gatto) were: David Emmes; Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom; Ruth Ann Segerstrom; Costa Mesa Mayor Mary Hornbuckle and her husband, Jerry; Thomas and Joleen Fuentes; Jim and Sharon Henwood; Reg and Anna Holloway; Peter and Sharon Buffa; Diane and Werner Escher; Sir Eldon Griffiths and Lady Griffiths; and Ruth Segerstrom Moriarty and her husband, Eugene.