Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Theater review: Civic’s ‘Grease’ familiar but always entertaining

  May 19, 2013 in City, Features on Page B7 In 1978, film producer Alan Carr took “Grease,” a gritty, vulgar musical about a group of streetwise teenagers in the late 1950s, and sanitized it into a shiny, bouncy, PG-rated …

• Review: ‘Dixie Swim Club’ sidesteps stereotype

  May 5, 2013 in City, Features on Page B7 Since they were in college together, the self-appointed members of the Dixie Swim Club have been inseparable. They’re five headstrong Southern women, all grappling with middle age in their own …

• Review: Civic Theatre’s ’Treasure Island’ offers energetic family fun

  April 7, 2013 in City on Page B2 It’s safe to say that “Treasure Island” is one of the most influential pieces of genre literature ever produced. Since its publication in 1883, elements of Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling …

• Theater review: Strong cast finds ‘Pond’s’ essence

  March 24, 2013 in City, Features on Page B2 Norman and Ethel Thayer have been visiting their Maine vacation cottage on a lake called Golden Pond every summer for nearly 50 years. Their marriage remains steadfast, but Norman, now … 3

• Review: ‘War Horse’ artfully staged, performed

  March 7, 2013 in City, Features on Page A6 At its core, “War Horse” is a simple story about a boy and his horse.

• Theater review: ‘Drowsy Chaperone’ not a play to sleep on

  February 24, 2013 in City, Features on Page B9 “The Drowsy Chaperone,” which opened Friday at Spokane’s Civic Theatre, is a trifle, an entertainment, one that lets its audience in on the joke, is free with the winks and …

• Theater review: ‘Incorruptible’ takes witty look at faith

  October 29, 2012 in City, Features on Page A6 Interplayers Theatre tackles questions of faith in its amusing production of Michael Hollinger’s satirical play “Incorruptible.” A French monastery is the backdrop in this dark comedy set in the Dark … 1

• ‘Closer Walk’ more musical tribute than play

  October 26, 2012 in City on Page A6 Dean Regan’s “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline” offers an intimate, nostalgic stroll through much of Cline’s music but keeps the audience at an arm’s length in revealing the inspiration …

• Review: ‘The Producers’ finds comedy in taboo places

  September 23, 2012 in City, Features on Page B9 Leave it to comedy legend Mel Brooks to conceive a musical with material so offensive it becomes downright hysterical. Thus, the major ingredient in Brooks’ multi-Tony Award-winning musical, “The Producers.” …

• Theater review: Nelson shines in Patsy Cline musical memoir

  September 16, 2012 in City on Page B7 Nearly a decade later, Interplayers Theatre brings back its tried-and-true production of Ted Swindley’s musical revue “Always … Patsy Cline.” It’s hard to imagine the theater’s wildly popular 2003 show …

• Review: ‘Spring Awakening’ rocks tradition in bold musical

  August 2, 2012 in City on Page A6 Conveyed with raw intensity, Lake City Playhouse presents its preseason production, “Spring Awakening.” The mature-themed rock musical by Duncan Sheik (music) and Steven Sater (book and lyrics), adapted from Frank …

• Civic Theatre crew succeeds despite ‘Premiere’ script’s flaws

  May 9, 2012 in City on Page A9 Spokane Civic Theatre’s director Wes Deitrick, cast and crew try their best to add sparkle to Dale Wasserman’s lackluster satirical comedy “Premiere.” This is not to say Wasserman wasn’t a …

• Theater review: Spontaneity keeps ‘Bingo’ breezy

  March 18, 2012 in City on Page B2 Zany antics and shenanigans abound in “Bingo,” an interactive experience that involves bingo playing, friendship and not-so-friendly competition. Spokane Civic Theatre Director Scott Doughty provides a rip-roaring interpretation of Michael …

• Theater review: Ex-sailor in ‘Count’ has vengeful new identity

  February 26, 2012 in City, Features on Page B10 Based on the literary masterpiece, “The Count of Monte Cristo” spins the ultimate tale of treachery, romance, adventure and revenge. Yvonne A.K. Johnson effectively directs the Spokane Civic Theatre’s production …

• Review: ‘The Receptionist’ weakened by mixing genres

  October 30, 2011 in City, Features on Page B7 Adam Bock’s 2007 play “The Receptionist” is an odd hybrid. It’s partly a comedy and partly a provocative moral statement. Mostly, however, it’s a tough sell.

• Theater review: Creepy ‘Turn’ made darker by minimalism

  October 23, 2011 in City on Page B7 The mind is where the scariest apparitions lurk; “The Turn of the Screw” makes that point in two different ways. First, this gothically creepy Firth Chew Studio Theatre production proves …

• Theater review: Cast succeeds in pooling talent

  March 27, 2011 in City on Page B3 The main character of “Metamorphoses” is 24 feet wide, 4 feet deep and smells sweetly of chlorine. It’s a swimming pool, which gurgles center stage in the intimate Firth Chew … 1

• Review: Clunky at times, but a rich story is told in ‘Privilege’

  February 27, 2011 in City on Page B7 One of the biggest surprises about “Privilege,” the funny and thought-provoking Paul Weitz play at Interplayers, is that most of it isn’t about privilege – it’s about nonprivilege. The story …

• Theater review: A stellar ‘South Pacific,’ in every way

  October 8, 2010 in City on Page A7 The Lincoln Center’s national touring production of “South Pacific” is quite simply one of the best musicals in the American repertoire, performed to its full potential. It all adds up …

• Rock ’n’ roll’s draw modeled in Civic Theatre rarity

  September 26, 2010 in City on Page B7 The Spokane Civic Theatre’s “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” isn’t merely about the rock ’n’ roll of the 1950s; it IS the rock ’n’ roll of the 1950s. By that, …