Dempsey’s Cabaret A Taste Of Broadway
I found it on Thursday night: The most civilized night out in Spokane.
It’s the Dempsey’s Brass Rail Cabaret, an elegant, sophisticated and adult way to spend an evening. Candlelit tables, a white grand piano, a small stage, and a talented chanteuse (in this case, Cheryl-Ann Rossi) made for an atmosphere that most of us haven’t seen this side of New York.
Rossi, a Broadway veteran, was delightful, belting out Sondheim songs and Kander and Ebb tunes. She was funny in the more rambunctious tunes, such as “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No,” but she was even better in the more pensive and emotional songs.
Compared to the typical noisy club venue, the cabaret is a superior way to see a performer exercise full artistic range. The audience is attentive; the noise is at a minimum.
The show lasts just a little more than an hour, which means that there is still plenty of time for dinner, dancing or a movie afterward. The cost was $10 in advance ($12 at the door).
The bad news is that Rossi’s show ended Friday. The good news is that the cabaret will be back Oct. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. with New York veteran Susannah Mars. Call Dempsey’s at 747-5362 for reservations.
Mariners win on TV
Yes, the Seattle Mariners clinched a championship on the playing field Tuesday night, but they also posted quite a victory over the air.
Tuesday’s division-clinching TV broadcast posted an amazing 25.3 household rating, meaning that 378,000 households were watching, and that doesn’t even count Spokane viewers. That was in the Seattle market alone.
Spokane viewers weren’t counted (our market is counted only during sweeps months), but there is no question that tens of thousands of Spokane viewers were tuned in. Jan Brandvold of KAYU-28 said that Mariners viewership is strong in Spokane, although probably not quite up to Seattle levels.
In fact, the regional ratings have been strong all year long. Fox Sports Northwest reports that its Mariners broadcasts were the highest-rated regional baseball games on cable in the country this season. Their games averaged a 13.2 rating for the season.
How high is that?
Well, for comparison, that big Monday Night Football game between Dallas and Philadelphia on Sept. 15 pulled a national rating of 17.4, which was No. 1 for the week.
The Mariners numbers are regional, of course, not national. Still, these figures show that the Mariners are a great TV draw.
By the way, the Mariners also are a big draw on radio. The ratings for KXLY-AM and KTRW-AM routinely leap up by several share points whenever the Mariners are on, according to Brian Paul, program director for both stations.
Poetic justice?
Speaking of sports broadcasts, I thought that Paul Sorensen sunk below even his usual standards during the Sept. 20 Cougar football broadcast.
When a referee was injured and had to be taken off the field, he called it “poetic justice” and expressed the hope that maybe now the referees would keep their flags in their pockets.
‘Love Always’ gala
My inside sources tell me that the premiere of “Love Always” at the Fox Theater on Sept. 20 was a big success, with 100-plus invited guests dressed in their most elegant Hollywood attire.
But how was the movie? Well, we’re not telling yet. Film critic Dan Webster’s full review will appear just before the movie opens on Oct. 10.
But I will tell you this: The scenes of Spokane (and there are plenty of them) are absolutely gorgeous. Yes, Spokane does look romantic.
SAFECO surprise
Who would have expected an insurance company to know anything about art?
I didn’t, until I went to the fine exhibit at Gonzaga University’s Jundt Gallery: “SAFECO Collects: Northwest Art 1976-1997.”
It turns out that SAFECO has been collecting works from Mark Tobey, Jacob Lawrence and many other artists from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana for decades.
These works normally decorate the various SAFECO offices, but the Jundt talked SAFECO into bringing the best ones together into an exhibit for Spokane.
Check it out; it’s free.
Piano marathon man
When it comes to piano practice, some kids believe that nothing worthwhile can ever come of it.
Not Jacob Schuler, a 10-year-old from Deer Park. He gathered together pledges this spring in the Spokane Symphony Associates’ Music Practice Marathon and then he practiced, practiced and practiced. Jacob then won a drawing and was named the grand prize winner in this annual fund-raiser.
He and his family won a weekend in Seattle, including airfare, a hotel stay at the Mayflower Park Hotel, and tickets to the Seattle Symphony.
The Innovation Award
KSPS-7, Spokane’s public television station, won a 1997 Innovation Award for development (fund-raising) at the annual PBS Development Conference.
The award was for the station’s “family scrapbook” series of vignettes, which features photos and letters from members.
KSPS-7 was in excellent company: The only other winners were WGBH in Boston, WNET in New York and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Radio warmth
The season for radio clothing drives has arrived.
The Radiomen from KKZX-FM, Jim Arnold and C. Foster Kane, spent the day Saturday in a live broadcast for a Salvation Army clothing drive.
Meanwhile, Terry Holiday of KXLY-FM is resting up for a repeat of his “Coats for Kids Marathon” from Oct. 16 through Oct. 19. He’ll try to stay awake and on the air for the entire four days.
, DataTimes