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Some enchanted evening you may see a stranger across a crowded room. It probably wasn’t on Tuesday night, though, when “South Pacific” opened at the Buell Theatre.

That’s when a very friendly crowd of 435 began the evening with cocktails and dinner in the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom. Later, this crowd was treated to the 8 p.m. performance of “South Pacific,” the award-winning revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical that debuted on Broadway in 1949.

Co-chairs Judy and Charlie McNeil chose “An Enchanted Evening” as the benefit’s theme. They also encouraged everyone to wear their tropical best — aloha shirts for men and floral prints and bold colors for women.

“I’m pretty conservative in my dress,” confessed Randy Weeks, the Denver Center’s president and chief operating officer. “So instead of going shopping, I improvised.”

Weeks jazzed up his navy blue blazer by fashioning a pocket square from the neon green bag that sponsor Vectra Bank provided for the souvenir soundtrack CDs handed out to the guests. He also turned the tropical bloom that decorated each napkin into a boutonniere.

Benefactor Susan Kiely wore a floral-print sari that she’d purchased on a trip to India, accenting it with a floral lei from Bouquets. Bouquets also did the gala’s decor.

DCPA chairman Dan Ritchie marveled at the turnout (“For a Tuesday night in the middle of summer, this has to be a record”) and then turned the microphone over to trustee Judi Wolf, who led everyone in a round of “Happy Birthday” to the DCPA’s founder and chairman emeritus, Donald Seawell, who turns 98 on Aug. 1.

Guests included Bob and Judi Newman; Jack and Viki Thompson; Jay and Kristina Davidson; Jerry and Debi Tepper; Jack and Adrienne Fitzgibbons; Steve Edmonds; Allison and Jim Shetter; Barry and Mary Berlin; Jack and Darci Overstreet; Caroline Karlin; Don and Arlene Johnson; Martin and JoAnn Semple; Don and Mary Lou Kortz; Ed and Gayle Novak; and Jean and Dr. Ben Galloway.Yummy, yummy.

Le Central and Brasserie Felix are among the restaurants and caterers providing food for the annual Alliance Francaise fundraiser that begins at 5:30 p.m. today at Denver Botanic Gardens. Call 303-831-0304 for details. . . . A private home in the Highland neighborhood is the setting July 30 for a wine and food tasting put on by Denver Sister Cities as a benefit for its Brest/Denver student exchange program. The $45 tickets can be purchased by calling 303-832-1336. . . . Mike and Peggy Shanahan’s fabulous Cherry Hills Village estate is the setting July 31 for Salt on the Rim, a south of the border-themed benefit for the Kempe Children’s Foundation. Pinkberry, Brio and C’est Chic Cupcakes are among those providing food; margaritas will be courtesy of Lime. Co-chairs Nancy Koontz, Ryta Sondergard and Marsha Temple advise that tickets are $100; sign up at .

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter