Wellington and Wilma Webb are a package deal. Always have been, always will be. Which is why Curious Theatre Company didn’t even think of featuring one without the other at .
Denver’s first African-American mayor and his wife of 44 years were lovingly portrayed by Keith Carlton Smith and Jada Suzanne Dixon in “One Degree of Separation: The Esteemed Legacies of Wilma and Wellington Webb.”
The one-act, one-performance-only play was written by Josh Hartwell and directed by Christy Montour-Larson.
It covered a lot of ground, from first marriages to Wellington Webb’s distinguished career as a public servant. Before he was mayor, Wellington Webb was a teacher, mental health worker, university professor, federal administrator, state regulator, state legislator and city auditor.
Wilma Webb served 13 years in the Colorado legislature, during which time she successfully pushed to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a state holiday and introduced legislation to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. Later, she was appointed to a post in the U.S. Department of Labor by then-President Bill Clinton, chaired the Mayor’s Commission on Art, Culture and Film and worked on behalf of programs that focused on young people, families and drug abuse prevention.
The production also included cameo appearances by several of those close to the Webbs: attorney Penfield Tate III, Andrew Hudson, Paula Herzmark, Mike Dino and Fabby Hillyard.
Jeremy Shamos, chairman of the Curious Theatre board, chaired Denver Stories with Herzmark, Hudson and David McReynolds.
“It is a great honor to have our lives celebrated by Curious Theatre Company,” the Webbs said in a statement afterward. “Sometimes it is hard to believe how much opportunity and support we’ve enjoyed and we are hopeful that our accomplishments in public service are an inspiration to others.”
The event began with a cocktail reception in a tent decorated to reflect the contributions of the honorees. BJ Dyer and his team from Bouquets mounted enhanced images of downtown buildings, public art and landscapes. As an homage to Wellington Webb’s habit of walking the campaign trail in tennis shoes, one table was decorated with an oversize shoe filled with flowers.
Food, from Occasions Catering, featured such Wilma Webb favorites as crab croquettes, corn pudding and sweet potato chips.
The 170 guests received souvenir campaign buttons that had a 1970s-era photo of the couple. There also was music by Hazel Miller.
Chip Walton, the co-founder and producing artistic director of Curious Theatre, and his wife, Dee Covington, welcomed a crowd that included attorney Steve Farber; Arts and Venues director Kent Rice; Mi Casa Resource Center president Christine Marquez-Hudson; Denver City Councilwoman Jeanne Robb; Tyrone and Mary Holt; Moses and Gwen Brewer; Barbara Bridges; Dan Ritchie and Joy Burns; Judi Wolf; Merle Chambers; Dick and Marcia Robinson; Sandra Roberts-Taylor; and Sharon and Lanny Martin.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
Banner year for the links
June and Dr. Johnny Johnson host a dinner-dance at Cherry Hills Country Club to celebrate the end of a successful year for the Denver chapter of The Links Inc. Joanne Davidson has details in the Mile High Style blog:
