Boozy Revelry, Genteel Ritual By Sally Quinn night balls of the Krewe of Rex nicipal Auditorium where the and the Mystik Krew of Comus court of Rex reignt on one side NEW ORLEANS — In New and the meeting of the two and the court of Comus sits on York people go "shrinks." In courts at midnight, marking the the other. California they have group en- end of the week-long Mardi The Rex side of the audito- counters and sexually liberated Gras celebration and the begin- rium is larger because , more communes. It other places they ning of Lent. And if only the people. are allowed to tome. have religion. • elite, privileged white Gentiles Rex is the democratic may take part that's okay too. Mardi In New Orleans they have Gras organization to Somehow the people on the which politically . ambitious or Mardi Gras. street like to know it's going on. civic-minded citizens belong and Everything that leads up to The Comus parade, the most in which Jews (but, not blacks) Mardi Gras night is only prep- elegant of all Mardi Gras, starts are allowed as members and as aration and anticipation for the at night and winds its way guests. great spectacular—the Tuesday through the streets to the Mu- See CARNIVAL, E3, Col. I Accompanied by the masked court, the Queen of Rex and King of Comus, followed by the Queen of Comm and the King of Rex, at the meeting of the two courts which marked the end of Mardi Gras, left. Earlier Tuesday,. thousands packed Canal Street as the float bearing Rex, King of Carnival, passed, right. Associated Press Lk). S 3/k/3 TrItawn.-14,r2a1 CARNIVAL, From El gold and ermine-drapes tnrone sur- "This is worse than the inaugural rounded by their pages and masses of ball. Anyone but anyone can come," yellow and white flowers and awaited said a pained member of Rex who the big moment when the Captain of also belongs to Comus. "You'll see Comus—masked, of course—would anything here, but it's a good place to come over to escort them to the other pay off social obligations to business side. There the court of Rex would pay acquaintances and people from the homage to the court of Comus. It office." should not escape anyone that this ges- Tuesday „ night someone even ture signifies the acknowledgement sneaked in a Cajun (not very socially not only of the Comus sovereigns but acceptable in New Orleans society). of the their entire community; the ac- There was also a woman in her 60s knowledgment that in New Orleans su- who was outfitted in hot pants with premacy is determined by lineage. 6o long half-skirt. "Disgusting, but At Comus, meanwhile, where only what can you do?" said a member. the night before the Krewe Proteus "That would never happen at Co- had had its ball against an underwater mus," said a horrified member of both backdrop, the maskers were dancing Krewes. "They don't even allow wom- with their ladies in the "call-out-" sec- en in evening pants." People are still tion, while people in white-tie watched talking about the time several years from the balcony. ago when socialite musician Peter and Comus had been, transformed into a Cheray Duchin were thrown out of breathtakingly exquisite fairyland with Comus because she wore pants. There white-carpeted dance floor, gold, red was a minor flurry Tuesday night and white draperies, gold candlelabra, when the town's two most socially white and gold thrones and white flow- prominent women, Mrs. Leon Erwin ers everywhere. On the throne sat the and Mrs. Brooke Duncan, appeared King (identity unknown) and Queen in the same dress. (Miss Clara Pollard Walmsley), both in white satin, bathed in rhinestones with Rex is not a masked event as is rhinestone and ermine mantles, she Comus. It is a white-tie affair. Con- holding a scepter, he a silver goblet. sequently, the King of Rex is an- All of the members of Comus were nounced, while the identity of the masked and in costume including- the (masked King of Comus, remains a Captain of Comus who was in white secret. Everyone at Rex is allowed satin and rhinestones. to dance as ppposed to the "call-out" as midnight approached, the Cap- System at Comus and the other tra- tain of Comus appeared at Rex to es- ditional balls. There is no drinking or cort the monarchs to the other side. smoking on the floor of Rex but there That meant most of the Rex guests is a "punch room" upstairs where men had to go home. Only those ivho are and women can drink (even if it is out members of both Krewes or very, very of plastic glasses). special guests are allowed to watch the The court of Rex appeared at 9:30 spectacle. Several little cards with p.m. for the Grand March after rest- one's name on them are issued and the ing from the Rex parade that after- crossover is done quietly, and with dig- noon. The King wore a gold rhine- nity so as not to offend the uninvited. stone-covered tunic, blond wig, rhine- A hushed silence fell as the band stone crown ana enormous mantle em- struck up "If Ever I Cease to Love", broidered in rhinestones and trimmed the Rex theme, and the King and with ermine and carried a large scep- Queen of Rex approached the King ter. The Queen wore a golden gown and Queen of Comus. Little pages, the intricately embroidered with beads, children of prominent members, scur- crystals and rhinestones and had a ried about arranging the mantles. crown, scepter and mantle identical Along with the masked court and to the King's. the dukes, the four monarchs, joined After the Grand March the King and by five debutantes from each court, Queen took their seats on the purple, made a procession around the dance floor waving their scepters and goblets United Prue xnternationai A winner in the Gay Costume-fudging Contest in the French Quarter _ was Four Seasons, a Washington, D.C. entry. Three of the Seasons, from left, Fail, Summer and Winter. to the reverent applause of the guests, then took their places on the throne. Now, any other day of the year any social person in New Orleans will tell you this whole business is all foolish- ness and nonsense. But on Mardi Gras night, when the courts of Comus and Rex meet, each person in that audi- ence is as deadly serious as if he were watching the coronation of Henry the VII. This is their fantasy. And if you close your eyes for just the tiniest min- ute, you can almost believe in it. As one Comus member put it, "If you can make believe, it might just get you through another year." Luncheon at Antoine's, New Orleans' world-famous restaurant, is the thing• to do the day before Mardi Gras. An- toine's is closed to the general public on Monday so it can seat all the "best" people in town. Tables are inherited and some people can't even count the number of years they've been sitting in the same place. Even though Antoine's has become a tourist trap, the locals still go there. requesting their own waiters by name rather than making reservations. Wait- ers are inherited too. Everybody knows that you never order what's on the menu. Special creole dishes are to be asked for. United Press international Monday before Mardi Gras at An- Dr. Howard Mahorner, who reigned as Rex, King of Carnival during Mardi Gras greets crowds lining toine's is the annual luncheon of the the balconies on St. Charles Avenue. Krewe of Proteus, the second most so- cial men's Mardi Gras organization. The men lunch and drink in the back say that lunch at Antoine's is the most lition worker, "but most of these kids room. Later, with the aid of some of fun event of Mardi Gras. For one are suffering more from an overdose the more musical Waiters on trumpet, thing, it signals, for the upper-class of alcohol than an overdose of drugs." they form a conga line and snake crowd, the beginning of the festivities. The streets were beginning to trash dance through the tables in the front up, even though for the first time room. Then the ladies are invited back Monday it poured all day as young glasses and beer cans were prohibited. to join the gentlemen. people arrived by the thousands, many Monday night was the proteus ball, The luncheon begins in an atmos- without places to stay. The Mardi Gras held, to he sure, in the Municipal Audi- phere of strict Southern gentility and Coalition, formed several years ago, torium where all the top balls are ends up hours later in a boozy brouh- was going crazy. Many of the churches held. There, the Queen, a debutante of aha. which had opened their doors to young the season, was presented in front of a You wouldn't believe these are re- people last year refused to do the fabulous underwater tableau with fined, respectable buslnesimen the same this year and placement was im- smoke rising from the fishnet floor, rest of the year," said one flushed Por- possible. For the first time in years, seaweed hanging from the ceiling and lean, kicking up his heels. however, the drug situation was under . hobbles coming—out of a bubble• ma- Many New Orleaneans who know control.