GEARING UP

Steampunk slam dunk

Baron’s Ball attendees get gussied up to assist Levi Hospital programs

Past incarnations of the Baron's Ball, a yearly benefit for Levi Hospital in Hot Springs, have conjured Las Vegas, a vaudeville circus and "cirque noir" themes.

The 24th annual event, held on Halloween night in Horner Hall of the Hot Springs Convention Center, took the form of a "Neo-Victorian Steampunk Gala."

Steampunk, in the present context, is a look inspired by Victorian-age science fiction as we imagine it today. Think H.G. Wells books and movies, or the 1999 feature film Wild Wild West starring Will Smith. Ball attendees, some of whom said they knew nothing about steampunk until planning for the ball, delved into their costume assembly with enthusiasm.

Leitmotifs included top hats, gears, goggles, two-toned bifocals, clock faces and elaborate mechanical accessories.

Titled "Rag N' Bone Shoppe of Curiosities," the evening's show centered on Professor Phineas Phinebone (aka master of ceremonies Davis Tillman, the Baron d'Abila) and his attempts to sell items to Dame Dorothy Westworth (Michelle Crandell) for her shop. The "items" took the form of various performers and their acts, including a juggler, a Gypsy singer, a mechanical doll, performers from ReCreation Studios & Circus Arts, and even a dancing coat. The silent scene stealers were the quartet of thespians -- Steve Bonner, Rose Bonner, Patrick Patterson and Bai Mros -- who starred in hilarious skits illustrating the auction items hawked by Nick Fowler.

After the show, guests danced to tunes by Solid Rock.

Proceeds from the ball will help to support programs offered by the charitable Levi Hospital, including adult psychiatric services, outpatient therapy, osteoporosis testing and treatment, and an arthritis clinic.

-- Story and photos by

Helaine R. Wiliams

High Profile on 11/08/2015

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