The Insider: Surprise guest Josh Groban delights gathering at Kravis Center Gala

"Memorable" is a word that gets tossed around a lot ― mostly by the younger generation, who still have plenty of room in their shiny, sturdy mental file cabinets.

But when you've martini-ed away as many brain cells as we have, "memorable" is rare.

Friday night's Kravis Center Gala was memorable.

More Palm Beach society news here.

Where do we begin? There was the performance by David Foster, Katharine McPheeand surprise guest Josh Groban, which put more Grammy on the stage than bingo night at the VFW.

There was the sight of chairwoman Kristen Lambertand chairmen Bill Meyerand David Lambertopening the dinner with a top hat-and-cane dance to the Marcia MitchellBand's revamped version of "All That Jazz."

Now that's something you don't see every day.

There was the poignant tribute to the late Alexander W. Dreyfoos, the Kravis Center's founding chairman, which had more than a few guests dabbing at their eyes.

There was, in a word, lots.

The sold-out crowd of 500 began the evening with a cocktail hour (and a half ... just sayin') in the Cohen Pavilion, then moved to Dreyfoos Hall for the performance, which brought a wild standing ovation from the packed house.

After the performance, gala guests made their way back to the Cohen Pavilion ― where the burgundy and gold colors were the perfect foil for Lewis Miller ' s floral masterpieces ― for the aforementioned Chairpersons' Shuffle, brief remarks from Kravis CEO Diane Quinn, dinner and a dessert of two chocolate mousses ... um, meece?

The dancing continued until well after the unspoken "Palm Beach Midnight" curfew (10 p.m.) and guests departed with an Italian leather jewelry clutch from Lugano Diamonds.

This is the same sponsor who made jaws drop at last year's 30th anniversary event when each woman was given a take-home gift of a pearl necklace.

When we saw the Lugano bags were did a quick novena to St Eligius, the patron saint of jewelry — oh yes he is; look it up — for the matching earrings. Nope.

But the clutch is good, too. And there was wine.

Monika E. Preston and Kathryn C. Vecellio were honorary chairwomen.

Proceeds from the evening assist the Kravis Center in its mission to provide exceptional cultural experiences that entertain, inspire, and educate audiences across the entire community.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: The Insider: Surprise guest Josh Groban delights at Kravis Center Gala