A VERDI SPECIAL EVENING AT THE OPERA.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Society Editor

Talk about doing the Hollywood scene.

Movie stars Kirk Douglas, Faye Dunaway, film director Lawrence Bender and even Guy Yelda, the French Consul General of France, turned out for the opening night of Verdi's ``Rigoletto'' at the Music Center downtown.

And the cast party that followed upstairs in the Impressario Ristorante was equally show-biz-y, with TV crews, photographers, flashing billboard signs, and 350 actors, society mavens and businessmen in their trademark Armani suits, mimicking the opera's opening scene.

``This is just what director Bruce Beresford had in mind for the opera ... a great party with nobody doing the classic (highbrow) clinking glasses thing,'' observed cast member Brenda Matthews of Toluca Lake.

Matthews, who plays one of the dancers, raved about the costumes for the contemporary Tinseltown version of ``Rigoletto.'' ``I'm so used to performing in period costumes that the first time I saw my costume, I asked if it went under my costume,'' she said with a laugh, also commenting that her skimpy sequined outfit was very liberating, although dancing in 5-inch stiletto heels was a challenge.

Across the room, the still-stunning Dunaway chatted with some Hollywood heavies - including Bender and actor pals Ron Randle and Lisa Guzman - about the costumes. ``We loved the suits!'' they told me, referring to the variations of gray and black Italian suits worn by the male chorus.

While many of the guests assumed the chorus was dressed entirely in Armani, costume designer Johann Stegmeir assured me that wasn't the case. ``The design of the costumes was mine, and some of the costumes were my own original designs ... and the chorus wore suits by a number of Italian designers.'' Although Armani was a major contributor, Stegmeir added that some of Hollywood's favorite designers, such as Prada, Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Thierry Mugler, had also contributed current fashions.

When asked why he went for such a hipster look, Stegmeir said he found it more real, and also felt a contemporary setting provides a ``different way of thinking about the meaning of a show.''

Soprano Inva Mula, who plays the innocent, unfashionable Gilda, arrived on the arm of her 4-year-old son, Anthony. ``As you can see, I'm really different in my fashion taste than Gilda,'' she said, referring to her French-designed cocktail suit in burgundy velvet.

L.A. Eyeworks designers Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds aren't major opera buffs, but they delighted in this one. Said Gherardi, ``It was a real high to see 50 pairs of glasses go on at one time, and know that they were all your own designs.'' She added that the dark glasses were used to represent the quintessential mask of Hollywood.

After an opera-themed dinner of rigoletto pasta, I caught up with Consul General Yelda, who praised the soprano, the clothes and Los Angeles Opera director Peter Hemmings, calling the opera the best production he'd seen in L.A.

``Rigoletto'' runs through March 21. For ticket information, call [phone].

WHAT A COUP de maitre for the Valley Cultural Center.

For 25 years, the Woodland Hills-based organization has been providing us with summer concerts in the park, but the group decided to try an indoor concert. And it packed the house.

Of course, getting the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, including its renowed director, Jeffrey Kahane, helped enormously. After all, they've never actually performed in the Valley. The Alex Theatre in Glendale was the closest they ever got in the past, said executive director Jim Kinsey, who added that the orchestra was very willing to help with the fund-raiser.

More than 350 people attended the Valley Cultural Center's first Neighborhood Concert, held in the Madrid Theatre in Canoga Park, and it got rave reviews. Even conductor Kahane said it was a great venue, referring to the acoustics in the theater that was rebuilt by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

Steve Goldstein of Calabasas, whose wife Patricia performed on the keyboard, was exhilarated by the event. ``The conductor was truly the highlight, as he explained each piece and talked about the composers, and made it a neighborhood concert for us. And since it was held in the afternoon, it was very casual, which fits in with the Valley's own history and style,'' Goldstein added.

Jan Alder, also of Calabasas, agreed. She commented that too many black-tie galas turn people off, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon. And guest Marilyn Hankins of Westlake Village confided she wasn't a chamber music fan, but the idea of an informal community concert was appealing.

After the concert, everybody - including past Fernando Award winners Clyde Porter and Walter Mosher - gathered in their turtlenecks and trousers at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills for a fancy buffet, accented by a fountain and huge floral arrangements.

``This hasn't been a big money-maker, but we didn't expect it to be. What we set out to do was establish an ongoing relationship with the orchestra and also our local sponsors, such as Boeing, West Hills Hospital and Medical Center, Panavision, Gelson's Market, Dilbeck Realtors and California State University, Northridge,'' Kinsey explained. The sponsors, after all, are the ones who provide the Valley with all those wonderful free Concerts in the Park that begin June 4. The summer series will include Kenny Loggins, the Doo Wah Riders and Grammy winner Kim Carnes, as well as a Cultural Arts Festival set for Aug. 13, said Kinsey.

Valley Cultural Center's next benefit is the Golden Horn Award gala on April 1, honoring West Hills Hospital and Medical Center. For ticket information, call [phone].

The Chamber Orchestra's Neighborhood Concert was underwritten in part by the California Arts Council, City of Los Angles Cultural Affairs Department, ARCO Foundation, Texaco and Wells Fargo.

ACTORS NOT OFTEN SEEN on the social scene turned out in force for the 23rd annual International Angel Awards held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Many of them are Valley residents, including Donna Douglas of TV's ``The Beverly Hillbillies'' and Dean Jones, who starred in ``The Love Bug'' and numerous other Disney films, as well as singers Jack Jones and Edie Adams. They came to honor two Encino celebs: Steve Allen received the Gold Angel Award for his book ``Dumbth,'' and John Tesh accepted the Excellence in Media's Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of work as a musician. Also saluted were a number of television and film productions.

Television programs receiving Angel Awards for their inspirational and social impact were ``Touched by an Angel,'' ``Judging Amy,'' ``Becker,'' ``Candid Camera,'' ``Walker, Texas Ranger'' and the PBS special ``One World.''

Film honorees included ``Music of the Heart,'' ``Toy Story 2,'' ``Stuart Little,'' ``The Red Violin'' and ``Omega Code.''

Presenters included actors, as well as Jane Boeckmann of Galpin Ford and Valley Magazine. The event was sponsored by Excellence in Media.

HEROES COME IN ALL SIZES and professions, but teachers who go beyond the call of duty to help children learn are Five Acres' favorite.

A therapeutic treatment center and residence in Altadena for abused and neglected children, Five Acres presented Volunteer Recognition Awards to five local women for their tutoring services. They include Alia Ali of Canoga Park, a student at Valley College in Valley Glen and a tutor at Five Acres' Dove Cottage; as well as Colleen Nicassio of Pasadena; Judith Farrar of La Canada; Liz Stewart of South Pasadena; and Karen Komai Margolis of Pasadena. Margolis, a retired Spanish and English teacher, received her award and spoke for all of the honorees, saying, ``These children are so sweet, and they want to be helped. They have had a lot of failure and rejection in their lives, but I see them responding and making progress quickly because of the quality and consistency of the teachers at Five Acres.''

To become a volunteer tutor, contact Robin Smith Jurado at [phone], Ext. 210.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Steve and Patricia Goldstein of Calabasas at the keyboard, with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra conductor Jeffrey Kahane.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Soprano Inva Mula with ``Rigoletto'' director Bruce Beresford at the gala.

Lee Salem