He was French at heart, he was romantic, and he threw one heck of a party, so where better to celebrate Rossini`s 200th birthday than Maxim`s, the long-shuttered restaurant whose red velvet banquettes, glittering mirrors and antique brass candleholders became synonymous with high life for socialite hedonists during the two decades before its 1986 closing.
Chicago Opera Theater, which is presenting Rossini`s ”Count Ory”
through Feb. 29 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., persuaded owner Nancy Goldberg to re-open her restaurant for just one night-Sunday-as a fund-raiser for the group.
In keeping with the saucy story line of ”Count Ory”-a notorious Don Juan-type who disguises himself as a nun in order to seduce a woman while her husband is away fighting the Crusades-the party will feature a buffet and entertainment by can-can dancers and a French chanteuse.
The ”Sins of Old Age” benefit (tickets are $50) runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Maxim`s, 1300 N. Astor St. Call 312-663-0555.
You can almost hear the bravos from Rossini, who, according to Maxim`s general manager Mark Tiarks, spent the last half of his life primarily as a kind of party-giver-and composed a little on the side.
