The Met season opened with the gala premiere of Verdi’s masterful Otello, inspired by Shakespeare’s play and matching it in tragic intensity. The performance in the opera house was preceded by a cocktail reception in the Mercedes T. Bass Grand Tier followed by a post-performance gala dinner at the Tent in Damrosch Park.

Guests included Jessica Chastain, Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooke Shields & Chris Henchy, Patricia Clarkson, Helen Mirren, Ellen Burstyn, Dylan McDermott & Maggie Q, Helena Christensen, Dermot Mulroney, Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal, Gina Gershon, Jill Hennessy & Paolo Mastropietro, Paul Sorvino, Renée Fleming, Bette Midler, Diane von Furstenberg & Barry Diller, Lance Bass, Margarita Levieva, Jessica Hart & Stavros Niarchos, Alina Baikova, Jill Kargman (Odd Mom Out), Jessica Joffe, Camilla Staerk, Austin Scarlett, Anna Netrebko, Met Board Chairman Ann Ziff, Gala Chairman Jacqueline Desmarais and Mercedes Bass.