Spotlight: Spokane lands heavyweights Snoop, Williams
A couple of big-name entertainers have recently booked shows in Spokane.
First up is Calvin Broadus Jr., the rap star who has gone by the monikers Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion and even DJ Snoopadelic. Snoop, as we’ll call him, will be at the Knitting Factory on Dec. 19.
Snoop burst onto the scene on Dr. Dre’s iconic 1992 album “The Chronic.” His debut album, 1993’s “Doggstyle,” entered the charts at No. 1. Since then, he has appeared on dozens of records and recorded with the likes of John Legend, Katy Perry and Willie Nelson.
That his appearance in Spokane comes less than two weeks after the state law legalizing recreational marijuana use goes into effect is probably a coincidence. Maybe not. But given Snoop’s recent conversion to Rastafarianism, we suspect there will be high times indeed in Spokane that night.
Tickets are $36 and are available through Ticketfly, www.ticketfly.com or (877) 4FLY-TIX.
A month later over at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, a comedy legend will take the stage. Robin Williams will sit down with his friend comedian-actor-director David Steinberg for “An Evening of Sit Down With Robin Williams.”
The Academy Award-winning actor will discuss his wide-ranging career, from his days on the television comedy “Mork & Mindy,” his film work such as “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Good Will Hunting,” his support of causes such as the USO and Comic Relief, and the absurdities of Hollywood. As a stand-up, his act is manic and improvisational, and a generation of children and their parents know him as the voice of the Genie in “Aladdin.”
Steinberg joined the famed Second City comedy troupe in Chicago in 1964 and spent six years there. He appeared on “The Smothers Brother Comedy Hour” and made more than 130 visits to “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” He has directed a number of TV sitcoms, including “Mad About You,” “Designing Women” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday through the Fox box office – (509) 624-1200 or www.martinwoldsontheater.com – or any TicketsWest outlet. Prices range from $88 to $127, with VIP packages available.
It’s a new venue
Friends and fans of Cheney’s StageWest Community Theatre will have to check the address. The company’s latest production, a reader’s theater version of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” will be staged in a new home – the Wren Pierson Building at C and Fourth streets in Cheney.
Previous shows have been staged at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. The new venue has limited seating, so advance tickets are suggested. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. The play runs at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 30 through Dec. 9. Call (509) 279-8238 for ticket information.
For more details, visit www.stagewestct.org.>