Celebrity wait night raises funds for the opera

From left: Suzanne Rorick, executive director of the opera, Liz Ference and Susan Conda are celebrity waiters during Toledo Opera Guild's Celeb wait night at Fat Fish Blues and Comedy Club in Perrysburg, Ohio.

The Blade/Lori King
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Kim Kearns, female impersonator London Asia, Clare Gorski at theToledo Opera celebrity wait night.

It was cold outside Monday, but it was warm inside with friends and supporters of the Toledo Opera during the annual celebrity wait night "It isn't over until the Fat Lady sings... or laughs!"

Presented by the Opera Guild at Fat Fish Blue in Perrysburg, supporters dined on chicken, fish, pulled pork, or vegetarian entrees as celebrity waiters encouraged tips and invited guests to autograph their white aprons.

London Asia, a female impersonator, sang during dinner to promote the Opera Ain't No Drag at Collingwood Arts Center, which is partly sponsored by the Toledo Opera Association, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2. Toledo Opera talents will perform with drag queens and kings. The next Toledo Opera is Don Giovanni at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 and 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Valentine Theatre.

At the fund-raiser, there was a raffle for tickets to the Opera Ain't No Drag and a C. Sterling Jewelers gift certificate which will be raffled off at the fashion show April 18 at the Toledo Club.

Awards were given to celebrity waiters: Beth Bowman was deemed the most entertaining waiter and Melissa Noe and Maureen Brown were given the best theme honors for their music trivia game.

From left: Suzanne Rorick, executive director of the opera, Liz Ference and Susan Conda are celebrity waiters during Toledo Opera Guild's Celeb wait night at Fat Fish Blues and Comedy Club in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Marianne Ballas' table brought in the most money, Michael Sordyl had the most guests, and Janna Lazelle-Lake and JoAnn Phipps had the best decorations for their Phantom of the Opera table complete with chandelier candelabras and masks.

Other waiters who made the night successful included Tim Hanson, Mary Helen Darrah, Liz Ference, Barbara Brown, Marina Lung, Laura Draheim, and the opera's executive director, Suzanne Rorick.

More than $6,000 was netted according to event chairmen Clare Gorski and Kim Kearns and guild president Traci Schwann.

Among the more than 160 guests were Elizabeth Foley, Alan and Hindea Markowitz, Rita Mansour, Ron and BobbieRoyhab, Barbara Steele, and Charlie Gorski, 5.

In Washington at the presidential inauguration festivities was Sue Greeley of Toledo. She traveled there by train, and arrived at Union Station in the middle of all the pomp and ceremony. Sue and her son Greg, who lives in Washington, attended the Out for Equality Ball that evening at the classic Mayflower Hotel. The evening was capped off by Cyndi Lauper singing some of her best-known songs, including "True Colors."