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Further Review

On Broadway

By Carolyn Lamberson The Spokesman-Review

Spokane is about 3,000 miles away from Broadway. But that hasn’t meant that local performers haven't found success on the “Great White Way.”

Here are a few of the talented writers, producers and actors from throughout the Inland Northwest who have had their theater dreams come true.

Regional entertainers who have worked in or around Broadway:

  • DENIS ARNDT
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    DENIS ARNDT

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    Arndt was active in drama at Rogers High School (class of ’57), but he served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam before pursuing an acting career.
    Broadway:
    He made his Broadway debut at age 77 in 2016 with “Heisenberg”
    Greater fame:
    Oregon Shakespeare Festival, “LA Law,” “Boston Legal”
  • STEVEN BOOTH
    HANDOUT

    STEVEN BOOTH

    From:
    Coeur d’Alene
    Locally:
    Danny Zuko/“Grease,” Spokane Theatrical Group, 2002; “Anything Goes,” CdA Summer Theatre, 2002; Pippin/“Pippin,” CST, 2006
    Broadway:
    Ensemble/“Avenue Q,” 2003-09; Will/“Glory Days,” 2008; Ned in “School of Rock,” 2016-17
    Greater fame:
    Charlie Price/“Kinky Boots,” first national tour, 2014
  • SOPHIA ANNE CARUSO
    HANDOUT

    SOPHIA ANNE CARUSO

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    Ensemble/“White Christmas,” Spokane Civic Theatre, 2010; Helen Keller/“The Miracle Worker,” Interplayers, 2011; Annie/“Annie,” Civic, 2012
    Broadway:
    Girl/“Blackbird,” 2016; Lydia/“Beetlejuice,” 2019
    Greater fame:
    Girl/“Lazarus,” 2015 (Off Broadway/West End); Brigitta/“Sound of Music Live,” 2013, NBC
  • BING CROSBY
    SR FILE

    BING CROSBY

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    Before going to California, Crosby and Al Rinker would perform at the Clemmer Theatre, now called the Bing Crosby Theater.
    Broadway:
    “Bing Crosby on Broadway,” 1976
    Greater fame:
    So much. But “White Christmas” is the best-selling single of all time.
  • DAN DONOHUE
    OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

    DAN DONOHUE

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    At Lewis & Clark High School (Class of ’84) he was the band’s drum major
    Broadway:
    Scar/“The Lion King,” 2008
    Greater fame:
    Oregon Shakespeare Festival; “Longmire,” 2016-17; “Strange Angel,” 2018
  • PATTY DUKE
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    PATTY DUKE

    From:
    New York City; moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1990
    Locally:
    Directed “The Miracle Worker” at Interplayers, 2011; Flora Humble/“Humble Boy,” 2007, Actors Repertory Theatre; Mama Rose/“Gypsy,” Civic, 2003
    Broadway:
    Helen Keller/“The Miracle Worker,” 1959-61; Deirdre Striden/“Isle of Children,” 1962; Aunt Eller/“Oklahoma!” 2002-03
    Greater fame:
    TV’s “The Patty Duke Show,” and her Oscar-winning performance in “The Miracle Worker”
  • SAMUEL D. HUNTER
    MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

    SAMUEL D. HUNTER

    From:
    Moscow, Idaho
    Locally:
    Eastern Washington University staged Hunter’s play “Pocatello” in 2015, while the Modern Coeur d’Alene presented “A Bright New Boise” in 2016.
    Off-Broadway:
    “Lewiston/Clarkston,” 2018; “Pocatello,” 2014; “The Whale,” 2012
    Greater fame:
    Drama Desk Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play (“The Whale”); Obie Award (“Bright New Boise”); MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant”
  • KENDAL HARTSE
    HANDOUT

    KENDAL HARTSE

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    Shadle Park graduate (Class of ’03) appeared in “Cats,” “Once Upon a Mattress” and Footloose at CST, and “Fiddler on the Roof” at Civic
    Broadway:
    “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” 2011; “Cinderella,” 2013-15; “Summer,” 2018
    Greater fame:
    National tours of “Cabaret” (Texas) and “Cats” (Demeter)
  • CHEYENNE JACKSON
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    CHEYENNE JACKSON

    From:
    Newport, Washington
    Locally:
    “Kiss Me Kate” at Civic, “Carousel” at Spokane Theatrical Company, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” at CST
    Broadway:
    “All Shook Up,” 2005; “Xanadu,” 2007; “Finian’s Rainbow,” 2009; “The Performers,” 2012
    Greater fame:
    As Mark Bingham in the Oscar-nominated “United 93”; on television in “Glee,” “30 Rock,” “American Horror Story” and “American Woman”
  • MAX KUMANGAI
    HANDOUT

    MAX KUMANGAI

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” at North Central High School; “Seussical” at Civic
    Broadway:
    “Waitress,” 2016-present
    Greater fame:
    National tours of “Waitress,” “The Scottsboro Boys” and “Hair.” Up next: “Jagged Little Pill” opening on Broadway this fall
  • NEIL LABUTE
    FOCUS FEATURES

    NEIL LABUTE

    From:
    Spokane Valley
    Locally:
    His plays “Reasons to be Pretty” and “Reasons to be Happy” were staged by the Modern Spokane in 2015
    Broadway:
    “Reasons to be Pretty,” 2009; nominated for the Tony Award for best play
    Greater fame:
    Feature films “In the Company of Men,” “The Shape of Things” and “Your Friends & Neighbors”; TV series “Van Helsing,” “Full Circle,” “Billy & Billie”
  • LAURA LITTLE
    SR FILE

    LAURA LITTLE

    From:
    Coeur d’Alene
    Locally:
    Little produces the annual “Traditions of Christmas” show in Coeur d’Alene.
    Broadway:
    Co-produced “Peter and the Star-Catcher” (2012-13), “First Date” (2013) and “Come From Away” (2017-present), and solo produced “All Is Calm” Off-Broadway
    Greater fame:
    A former artistic director at CST, Little helped guide local productions of both “First Date” and “Peter and the Star-Catcher.”
  • DARREN MCGAVIN
    SUNN CLASSIC PICTURES

    DARREN MCGAVIN

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    Not much is publicly known about McGavin’s life in Spokane, and as a teenager he supposedly lived in warehouses in Tacoma
    Broadway:
    “Dinner at Eight” (1966), “The Tunnel of Love” (1957), “The Lovers” (1956) and “The Rainmaker” (1954)
    Greater fame:
    The TV series “Mike Hammer” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” and as the Old Man in “A Christmas Story”
  • CRAIG T. NELSON
    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    CRAIG T. NELSON

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    He played sports at Lewis & Clark High School, and was encouraged to pursue acting while at Yakima Valley College.
    Broadway:
    Nat Miller/“Ah, Wilderness,” 1998
    Greater fame:
    TV’s “Coach,” the dad from the 1982 film “Poltergeist,” the voice of Mr. Incredible
  • BRANDON O’NEILL
    SR FILE

    BRANDON O’NEILL

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    O’Neill used to front the Spokane band Rough Congress before moving to Seattle; he returned to the area in 2016 to play the Black Stache in “Peter and the Star-Catcher” at CST.
    Broadway:
    Kassim/“Aladdin,” 2014; various roles/
    “A Bronx Tale: The Musical,” 2017-18
    Greater fame:
    O’Neill is well regarded in the Seattle theater scene, and was named outstanding supporting actor in a musical for his work in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at 5th Avenue Theatre.
  • PATRICK PAGE
    HANDOUT

    PATRICK PAGE

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    While Page was born in Spokane, he was raised in Oregon, and returned to Eastern Washington to attend Whitman College in Walla Walla
    Broadway:
    The Grinch/“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2006, 2007); Henry VIII/“A Man for All Seasons” (2008); Green Goblin/“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” (2011); various/“Spring Awakening” (2015); Hades/“Hadestown” (opened Wednesday)
    Greater fame:
    TV credits include “The Good Wife,” “Madame Secretary” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”
  • JASON MICHAEL SNOW
    HANDOUT

    JASON MICHAEL SNOW

    From:
    Spokane
    Locally:
    At Ferris High School, he was Lt. Cable in “South Pacific,” and was Lumiere in “Beauty and the Beast” at CST, among many shows there.
    Broadway:
    An original ensemble member of “The Book of Mormon,” from 2011-14; Yeoman Quale/“South Pacific” (2009)
    Greater fame:
    Snow was featured in “South Pacific” on an episode of “Live From Lincoln Center” that aired on PBS in 2010.