Curtains Open On Theater In Seattle Trek To West Side A Cultural Experience

Let’s make this clear at the outset: We are not admitting that Steve Hasson is right. We are not admitting that everyone in Spokane has to run off to Seattle to get some culture.

However, we are acknowledging that for some events, we do have to make that Seattle trek. For instance, hundreds of Inland Northwesterners will be heading to Seattle for “Miss Saigon,” which opens tonight at the Paramount Theater and continues through May 14. This is a show that won’t make it to Spokane for years.

So we’re going to alert you to some package deals and other strategies that can make that Seattle culture trek a little bit easier, and maybe a little bit cheaper.

“Cheaper” is a relative term, especially when talking about a hotel like the Four Seasons Olympic, Seattle’s grandest hotel.

The hotel, at 411 University St., offers a “Miss Saigon” package until May 13 which includes two tickets to the show, one night in an executive suite, a continental breakfast and valet parking. The package deal is available on selected Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The price for all of this: $355 per couple.

Hey, nobody ever said culture was cheap.

The Hotel Vintage Park, 1100 Fifth Ave., is also offering a “Miss Saigon” package. This recently renovated hotel, which caters to executive travelers during the week, offers a deluxe room for one night, a bottle of champagne and a hosted wine tasting in the lobby for $145. Add either $65 or $35 per person for the “Miss Saigon” tickets, depending on what kind of seats you want.

That still sounds steep, but the hotel says that’s a 30 percent discount off normal rates.

Both the Four Seasons Olympic, and the Hotel Vintage Park are about seven blocks from the newly restored Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. You can walk to the theater, or take a taxi for about $2.

Are these package deals a bit rich for your blood? It seems that only the higher-end hotels have “Miss Saigon” package deals, so you can save some money by putting together your own deal. In other words, you can order tickets yourself and then hunt down some bargain rates for hotels within striking distance of the Paramount.

If you want a hotel that is practically on top of the theater, check out the Plaza Park Suites, 1011 Pike St., next to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. You can gaze down on the Paramount from your window.

This hotel is offering what it calls an “Encore Performance” special through June 30. It’s a one-bedroom suite which includes your choice of a fireplace or a whirlpool tub, and continental breakfast, for $125. It includes a free shuttle to and from all downtown theaters, although you won’t need it for the Paramount, which is only two blocks away.

The WestCoast Camlin Hotel, 1619 9th Ave., is even closer - less than a block away. It is offering a $65 bedand-breakfast rate, which may be hard to beat in downtown Seattle.

And the WestCoast Roosevelt Hotel, 1531 7th Ave., about two blocks away, has a $90 weekend package, which will go up to $95 on April 1.

The Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers is also only two blocks away from the Paramount. The Sheraton offers a $119 weekend rate (double occupancy) or a $130 rate with breakfast included.

“Miss Saigon,” of course, isn’t the only cultural event for which people trek to Seattle. The people at the Plaza Park Suites report that they were deluged with reservations from Spokanites when they offered a package deal for “Angels in America, Part I: Millenium Approaches,” at the Intiman Theatre last fall.

So they are planning to offer a similar package when “Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika” opens at the Intiman on May 12. This deal will include two tickets and a onebedroom suite, although the hotel has not yet set the prices. Call for information.

The Hotel Vintage Park offers a $205 package deal for most shows at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, just two blocks away. The next show there will be Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies,” from April 25 to May 14. Call to find out what dates are available.

If you plan on eating downtown before the show, some restaurants make it more convenient to get to the show afterward.

The Union Square Grill, 621 Union St. in downtown Seattle, has come up with an extremely arts-friendly idea. This upper-mid-scale restaurant offers free round-trip cab fare to the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Paramount Theater, A Contemporary Theatre and any of the Seattle Center theaters (the Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Group Theatre and the Intiman Theatre).

When you make reservations at the restaurant, just tell them where you’re going and what time the curtain rises. They’ll have a cab waiting outside the restaurant door when you’re finished with dinner. The cab picks you up at the theater after the show, too, and takes you back to the restaurant or your hotel.

The Palm Court at the Westin Hotel, 1900 Fifth Avenue, has a similar service, but in this case, it’s a limousine instead of a cab. Diners at the Palm Court get free parking and then are whisked off to the Fifth Avenue theater in style. The only catch: You have to walk back, or take a cab.

This limo service is good only to the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Those going to events at Seattle Center receive free monorail tickets, since the Westin is across the street from the downtown terminus of the monorail. Let the restaurant know when you make reservations.

And finally, here are a list of some of the other reasons you might want to cruise to Seattle on a culture trek this spring:

Bill Irwin in Moliere’s “Scapin,” through April 8 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

“The Gospel at Colonus,” a musical adaptation of “Oedipus at Colonus,” set in a black Pentecostal church, at A Contemporary Theater (ACT) through April 15.

“Marisol,” by Jose Rivera, through April 16, and the musical “Falsettos,” June 2 through July 2, both at The Group theater in Seattle Center.

MEMO: This is a sidebar which appeared with story:

TICKET NUMBERS “Miss Saigon” tickets: (206) 292-ARTS. 5th Avenue Theatre tickets: (206) 292-ARTS. Seattle Repertory Theatre tickets: (206) 443-2222. A Contemporary Theatre tickets: (206) 285-5110. The Group Theatre: (206) 441-1299. Intiman Theatre tickets: (206) 626-0782. Four Seasons Olympic Hotel: (206) 621-1700. Hotel Vintage Park: (800) 624-4433. Plaza Park Suites: (206) 682-8282. WestCoast Camlin Hotel: (800) 426-0670. WestCoast Roosevelt Hotel: (800) 426-0670. Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers: (206) 621-9000. Union Square Grill: (206) 224-4321. Palm Court (Westin Hotel): (206) 728-1000. General information about Seattle: (206) 461-5840.