The Celebration

The Wortham Theater Center welcomed 200 guests to the Houston Ballet Opening Night Onstage Dinner on Friday, September 9, 2022. Christine and David M. Underwood chaired the event, which honored Jean and Henry May. The evening was a vibrant celebration of the opening of the company’s 2022-2023 season and benefited the Houston Ballet.

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The Story

Before dinner, guests dressed in shimmering cocktail attire attended a performance of Trey McIntyre’s reinterpretation of Peter Pan by Sir James M. Barrie on the Wortham Theater’s Brown Stage. Seen through the eyes of a child, the performance featured breathtaking flying sequences, thrilling sword fights, giant puppets, and sprinkles of pixie dust. When the curtain rose a second time, revealing the Onstage Dinner décor created by Bergner and Johnson, guests were reminded of the first act of Peter Pan by tables swathed in lilac linens and crowned with votives and floral arrangements in hues of lavender and blue. Exquisitely prepared by Jackson and Company, dinner was a sumptuous feast featuring a rainbow beet salad, mustard-seed-crusted short rib with red wine sauce, and almond and raspberry cake with baked meringue, toasted almonds, vanilla custard, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries.

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The Moments

Directly after the performance, and just prior to dinner, attendees gathered in Orchestra for a presentation by Executive Director, Jim Nelson. While the stage was being magically transformed behind the red curtain, the evening’s chairs, Christine and David M. Underwood, were thanked for their work planning and executing the event, and the honorees, Jean and Henry May, were recognized. 

The occasion raised over $210,000 for the Houston Ballet. 

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Guests: Stanton Welch AM, Jim Nelson, Christine Underwood, Jean and Henry May, Trey McIntyre and Drew Lewis Brown, Kristy and Christopher Bradshaw, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Laura and Brannon Robertson, Macey and Harry Reasoner, Kent and Shara Schaffer, Stephanie and Frank Tsuru, Hallie Vanderhider, Margaret Alkek Williams, Ann Bean, Susan and Gary Binney, Tammy and Wayne Nguyen, Gary V. Beauchamp and Marian Wilfert Beauchamp, C.C. Conner, Rose Cullen, Joseph Matulevich, Martha and Richard Finger, Richard Flowers and Angel Rios, Jo and Jim Furr, Jesse H. Jones II, Kris and Richard McGee, Martha and Marvin McMurrey, Cabrina Owsley, Liliana Soltero and Michael Hawkins, Allison and Troy Thacker, Ann G. Trammell, Ileana and Michael Treviño, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, Lynn Wyatt, Molly and Jim Crownover, Melza and Ted Barr, Elise and Russell Joseph, Jennifer Laporte, Desrye Morgan, Sara and James Parr, and S. Shawn Stephens and James M. Jordan.

 

About Houston Ballet

Houston Ballet is committed to maintaining and enhancing its status as: A classically trained company with a diverse repertory whose range includes the classics as well as contemporary works; A company that attracts the world's best dancers and choreographers and provides them with an environment where they can thrive and further develop the art form; An international company that is accessible to broad and growing local, national, and international audiences; A company with a world-class Academy that provides first rate instruction for professional dancers and meaningful programs for non-professional dancers; A company with state-of-the-art facilities for performances, rehearsals, and ongoing operations.