Spotlight: Best of Broadway announces next lineup
The 2011-’12 Best of Broadway season will feature the Chairman of the Board, an English nanny and a guy with a bolt in his neck.
Here’s the lineup of touring shows for next season, announced Thursday by WestCoast Entertainment.
• “Come Fly With Me,” Nov. 17-20 – The Frank Sinatra musical revue, with choreography by Twyla Tharp.
• “Young Frankenstein,” Dec. 15-18 – The musical version of the great Mel Brooks movie comedy.
• “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” Jan. 26-29 – One of the most popular and successful stage adaptations of a Disney animated film.
• “In the Heights,” April 12-15 – The 2008 Tony-winner for Best Musical, filled with the music and dance of New York’s Dominican community.
• “Mary Poppins,” June 12-17, 2012 – The popular stage version of the classic Disney musical film about a magical governess and her charges.
WestCoast Entertainment also announced a few “specials” – shows that are not part of the regular subscription package, but can be added on: “Defending the Caveman,” Oct. 8; “The Official Blues Brothers Revue,” Nov. 13; The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Jan. 14; and the “New Shanghai Circus,” Feb. 18.
Season tickets are now on sale through TicketsWest outlets (800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com). Individual on-sale dates will be announced later. All shows will be at the INB Performing Arts Center.
Steve Earle at the Fox
The alt-country legend Steve Earle has been booked into the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox for a June 11 concert.
Earle, a gruff singer-songwriter in the Dylan-meets-Waylon tradition, will perform with the Dukes (and Duchesses) Featuring Allison Moorer.
Tickets are $29.50 and $39.50, now on sale through TicketsWest outlets (800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
Dave Matthews at the Gorge
The Dave Matthews tradition will continue this year when the Dave Matthews Band Caravan returns to The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., on Sept. 2, 3 and 4.
This event will also include Dispatch, The Roots, John Butler Trio, Gogol Bordello, the Moondoggies and Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.
Dave Matthews has appeared at the Gorge 37 times (!!) since 1997 and has come to own Labor Day weekend.
Tickets for The Gorge event will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. May 6 at www.DMBCaravan.com, but there will be various pre-sale offers for members of the band’s Warehouse Fan Association.
Damp Sprocket
The ‘90s alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket have been booked into the Panida Theatre in Sandpoint on July 15.
They’re known for the hits “All I Want” and “Fall Down” and a series of well-received albums.
Tickets are $28 at Eichardt’s Pub in Sandpoint, the Long Ear in Coeur d’Alene, 4,000 Holes in Spokane and through Ticketswest outlets.
Their name, by the way, comes from an Eric Idle (Monty Python) monologue.
Cellos for the hip
And here’s something completely different: The Portland Cello Project, July 20 at the Bing Crosby Theater.
This group, also known affectionately as PCP, has succeeded in making the cello cool in ultra-hip Portland. They are known for “extravagant performances, mixing genres and blurring lines.” On some numbers, they bring a 12-cello attack.
Sound intriguing? Tickets are $10, now on sale through TicketsWest outlets.
Maryhill says YES
It’ll be a ‘70s vibe at the Maryhill Winery and Amphitheater this summer.
This outdoor venue is a long drive from here – its in Goldendale, Wash., in the Columbia Gorge – but fans of prog-rock will be tempted.
Here’s the just-announced lineup:
• YES and Styx, July 30, 7 p.m. – Two of the top-selling progressive rock acts of all time.
• The Gipsy Kings, Aug. 6, 7 p.m. – Jazz, flamenco and world music.
• Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. – Two Grammy-winning hitmakers.
Tickets for all shows range from $45 to $140, on sale Maryhill’s website, www.maryhillwinery.com.
Law Enforcement Museum
The Spokane Law Enforcement Museum, 1201 W. First St., will be celebrating its first anniversary with coffee and cookies from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It would be a good opportunity to check out the museum’s historic collections.
‘Celebrities’ dance-athon
The fundraising event “Dancing With the Celebrities” is coming up at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bing Crosby Theater.
The dancing “names” include Molly Allen of KZZU-FM, Bill Kelly of KHQ-6 and last year’s winner, Sheila Geraghty, representing the Salvation Army.
This is a benefit for the Christian Youth Theater-Spokane. Tickets are $15, for standard seating and $25 for premier seating, available by calling (509) 487-6540 or through www.cytspokane.com. Check the website for the rest of the celebrity contestants.
A Sammy award
Congratulations to local bluesman Sammy Eubanks, who won a “Best of the Blues” Award from the Washington Blues Society this year.
Eubanks won the Mark Dufresne Male Vocalist Award, the society’s major award for male singers. It was announced on April 17 at the Triple Door in Seattle.
Bing’s ‘Country Girl’
Celebrate Bing Crosby’s birthday on May 3 in appropriate fashion by catching the final film in the Spring Bing Crosby Film Festival, “The Country Girl” at the Bing Crosby Theater.
He plays a troubled singer with a drinking problem – and he received an Oscar nomination. Grace Kelly co-stars in this 1954 film.
Doors will open at 6 p.m., some Crosby film shorts will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the feature starts at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested.
By the way, it would have been his 108th birthday. He was born in 1903.