A Knight of Accolades at UCLA

The Scene: A pre-performance dinner Thursday night at UCLA’s Royce Hall, where the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain’s production of “Richard III,” starring Sir Ian McKellen, is ending its national tour. Sponsored by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean, Gilbert Cates, the affair was hosted by Michael Ovitz, Debbie Allen, Sherry Lansing, Ron Meyer, Rick Nicita and Jack Rapke. Proceeds from the dinner went to a new Ian McKellen theater scholarship at UCLA.

The Buzz: The appearance of McKellen, one of the greatest living Shakespearean actors, created palpable excitement among the Hollywood heavyweights on hand. (Ironically, despite the film industry accolades, none of it has translated into big movie roles for the man that Jack Lemmon introduced as “the No. 1 actor of our times.”)

Who Was There: Besides the hosts and Lemmon, Jodie Foster, Lloyd Bridges, Quincy Jones, Lee Rich and Audrey Meadows.

Dress Code: The after-work, subdued-power look: tasteful suits, tasteful jewelry, tasteful cosmetic surgery.

Money Matters: Tickets for dinner and the show were $200. (“Is this tax-deductible?” asked one man, as his financial manager strolled past the dinner table. “Seventy percent of it is,” answered a dinner companion, who had obviously been to a few of these do’s before.)

Sights: Watching photographers desert Donna Mills in mid-flash to snap a picture of Ovitz, the mega-agent’s mega-agent and chairman of Creative Artists Agency.

Quoted: In an interview before dinner, McKellen reflected on changes in his life since he came out last year as an openly homosexual actor. “Hollywood is really behind the times,” he noted. “In British society, there were no great shock waves. I was given a knighthood, the first openly gay man to receive one.”

Triumphs: When was the last time you were at a dinner party that had entertaining speeches and was all over by sundown? (Don’t get excited, it’s not a trend. “Richard III” is a four-hour show, and it started at 7:30.)

Glitches: “Is this the same one that Tom Branagh was in?” asked one entertainment-industry wife. Informed that it was Kenneth Branagh, and the film was “Henry V,” she replied, “Oh, well, same difference.” (Moral: In the industry, familiarity with Shakespeare is an elective, but knowing the difference between “Porky’s,” “Porky’s II: The Next Day,” and “Porky’s Revenge” is a required course.)