By Michael M. Clements

WL Insider Michael M Clements

I felt the summer of ’08 melt away along with the spirit of the ’60s as I stood in the crowd at the VIRGIN MOBILE FESTIVAL. Watching a surprisingly coherent Bob Dylan, I felt privileged to see the aging Tambourine man, but conflicted knowing his anti-establishment edge had been replaced by corporate branding and kids who scream “we want Kayne!” The times have a-changed. Still, the line-up of Jack Johnson, Moby, Foo Fighters, and Wilco proved there is still some summer love to go round.

There was love, and tears, during SIGNATURE THEATER’s East Coast premiere of ACE. The musical follows the transformation of a troubled young boy (Dalton Harrod) as he discovers the heroic history of the father he never knew. Harrod is commendable but Jill Paice, who played his mother, was outstanding. Artistic director Eric Schaeffer deserves major accolades for his ability to bring to life writer Richard Oberacker’s complex characters. Watch out for child actor Angelina Kelly, a beacon of light, who deserves a Helen Hayes Award nod for her turn as Emily.

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Justice Samuel Alito and Martha Alito with Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta and Leila Castellaneta

Location: The Embassy of Italy

WL SPONSORED - Photos by Kyle Samperton 

HIGH NOTES: 300 guests enjoyed the show from their $1,000-a-pop seats at the Kennedy Center Opera House, then shuttled to the Italian Embassy for dinner and dancing, underwritten by Rolex. OPERATIC HOME RUN: Black-tie and bejeweled patrons didn’t finish dinner untill well past midnight, although everyone shared in artistic director Placido Domingo’s exultation over the simulcast screening of La Traviata at Nationals Park before an audience of 15,000. THE CAST: Soprano Elizabeth Futral, director Marta Domingo, Justices Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito, dinner chair Mae Haney Grennan, executive director Mark Weinstein, and a bevy of ambassadors from of Afghanistan, France, Britain, Japan, Spain, Korea, Morocco, Mexico, Finland, Peru, and Brazil. 

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