Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1195863
40 SPECTACULAR SPECTACLE CATHERINE D. ANSPON COZIES UP TO THE MECHANICAL BULL. PHOTOGRAPHY MIKE HERRERA, EMILY JASCHKE. T his is the story of a night whose well chosen and worthy honoree — collector, patron, arts leader, maven of Houston museums, and Orange Show founder, Marilyn Oshman — blasted fundraising records while setting an extreme bar for inventive costuming and raucous fun. The Orange Show Gala 2019 may well have been the best in the nonprofit's 38-year history, with a surprise appearance by Mayor Sylvester Turner to proclaim Marilyn Oshman Day. The honoree's well-connected, hard-working progeny — Karen Lubetkin Desenberg and Andrew Lubetkin and wife Cindy Lubetkin — stepped up as gala co-chairs to forge an evening that lived up to its title: Texas Legends, Tall Tales, and Marvels. The Orange Show's newest acquisition, a 31,000-square-foot warehouse/party palace, set the stage. Art Guy Jack Massing devised the outrageous decor, enlisting 40-some Houston talents who crafted clever and artful details. Note: You can never go wrong with a mechanical bull. AUCTION DRAMA, CULINARY FEATS, MUSIC HEADLINERS The crowd of 700-plus raised more than $900,000. Of that, $200,000 came from the 200-item silent auction packed with art goodies and experiences gathered by auction chairs Erica Levit and Lance Rosmarin. For this epic night, Tony's did the dining honors. Guests were provided menu options in advance (center-cut prime filet, seared wild sea bass Pompelmo, or grilled polenta pave); top underwriter tables scored their own bartender. Entertainment was exuberant, with Crescent City-based Bag of Donuts leading off the cocktail hour, followed by The English Beat from Birmingham, England, founded 1979. MASKED MARVELS + TEXAS LEGENDS: Dixie Friend Gay as Ann Richards, with white-fringed pantsuit and bouffant hair; Marta Fredricks as a Whataburger attendant; Don Mafrige Jr. as Dr. Red Duke; proud Native American Ceron; Mark Sullivan channeling Maaaarvin Zindler; Jo Ann Williams as the Marfa Lights; Wild West duo Debbie McNulty and husband, artist Dean Ruck, with an incredible 'stache; as well as Franny Koelsch Jeffries, Lynette Wallace, Julia and Will Robinson, Rickey Polidore, Mauney Mafrige as a saucy Anna Nicole Smith, Glen Larner as a ringer for Kinky Friedman, astronaut Ann Singleton, and Melisa B. Herring as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. ORANGE SHOW GALA HONORS PATRONESS SUPREME MARILYN OSHMAN. Ann Hyde & John Kerr Smither McKay Otto & Keith Coffee Dixie Friend Gay as Ann Richards Martha & Richard Finger, Arianna Finger Mayor Sylvester Turner Honoree Marilyn Oshman Kari Roundy, Libbie Masterson, Dallas McNamara Kathy Masterson, Ann Singleton Glen & Tracy Larner Lane & Bob Schultz Sarah Deutser, Ceron Co-chair Karen Lubetkin Desenberg Co-chairs Andrew & Cindy Lubetkin Monica Duff, Don Mafrige Jr. as Dr. Red Duke Suzy Simons