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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Duke Heads Line-Up To Benefit Aids Network

Life is a cabaret, but in this case, the cabaret is for life.

Oscar and Emmy winner Patty Duke (the best known resident of Coeur d’Alene) headlines “You, the Night, and the Music,” a cabaret-style benefit for the Spokane AIDS Network on Saturday at the Davenport Hotel.

Duke will be giving a dramatic reading of a piece she wrote. A number of other performers will perform musical numbers. KHQ-6 anchor Debra Wilde will be the celebrity emcee.

The evening’s showcase entertainer is Samantha Samuels, who has been knocking ‘em dead for years in San Francisco and New York with her nightclub cabaret act.

Samuels has been variously described as a “chanteuse,” “a lady radiating star quality,” “a beautiful contralto” and “Dietrich with a sense of humor.”

“With her kohl-rimmed eyes, off the shoulder gown, long red fingernails reaching for that elusive phrasing, she can conjure up a kind of New York City Edith Piaf,” said the Globe and Mail in Toronto.

She has been a performer since childhood; she was once known as Chicago’s “Little Ethel Merman.”

On stage, she has starred in “Piaf, No Regrets” and in “Person to Person,” a musical created for her. She has been the opening act for Joan Rivers, The Smothers Brothers, Alan King and Howie Mandel. She also does a show for children called Kabaret for Kids.

The event begins at 8 p.m. with a no-host bar in the Davenport’s Grand Lobby; the show begins at 9 p.m. The evening has been underwritten by local corporations, so every dollar of ticket sales will go directly to the Spokane AIDS Network. Apria Healthcare is the primary sponsor.

There also will be a “Meet the Stars” event Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Clark House on Hayden Lake. Tickets for that evening, which will include wine, champagne and hors d’oeuvres, are $50. Call (800) 765-4593 for reservations.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: AIDS Benefit “You, the Night, and the Music,” will be Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Davenport Hotel. Tickets are $25 in advance (call 326-6070 or (800) 765-4593) or $35 at the door.

This sidebar appeared with the story: AIDS Benefit “You, the Night, and the Music,” will be Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Davenport Hotel. Tickets are $25 in advance (call 326-6070 or (800) 765-4593) or $35 at the door.