Nelson Wins Plum Role On Broadway

Once again, a Spokanite has a starring role on Broadway.

Craig T. Nelson, a 1962 Lewis and Clark High School graduate, has begun previews of Eugene O’Neill’s comedy, “Ah, Wilderness!” at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in the Lincoln Center in New York.

Nelson, of course, is best known as the star of the TV sitcom “Coach,” which finished its nine-year run in May. However, he has solid stage credentials in Shakespeare and the classics. He has appeared at dozens of theaters, including the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York and the Seattle Repertory Theater. In his younger days, he even attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

“Ah, Wilderness!” is a plum role for Nelson. Not only is he appearing in a classic play by a certified American genius, but this is a Lincoln Center production directed by Daniel Sullivan, an A-list director.

His co-star will be Tony-winner Debra Monk.

The show officially opens on March 18. We’ll keep you posted on what the critics and the ticket-buying public think of our Mr. Nelson.

Sellout, sellout, sellout

The box-office has been busy in Spokane when it comes to rock/alternative concerts. Three big concerts are sold out completely: today’s Matchbox 20 show at the Opera House; the Thursday Sarah McLachlan show at the Opera House; and the March 22 Everclear show at The Met.

That Everclear show was particularly hot; it sold out within hours. Of course, they have a radio hit right now (you can hear it on The Peak) and they’re playing The Met, which is less than one-third the size of the Opera House.

‘Grease’ tickets gone

Speaking of sellouts, here’s an astonishing one: All 850 tickets to the 20th anniversary premiere of the 1978 film “Grease” are already gone.

This big event isn’t until March 21 at the Fox Theatre in downtown Spokane. Yet all of the tickets vanished by Wednesday, meaning it sold out in six days.

This is bad news for those who didn’t get tickets, but good news for the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, which is the beneficiary of this fund-raiser.

By the way, those who are hoping that John Travolta will show up (he is one of the people who helped arrange this premiere) should be aware of a certain scheduling problem. The opening of Travolta’s newest movie, “Primary Colors,” is scheduled for March 20. He will almost certainly have numerous “Primary Colors”-related commitments that weekend.

This doesn’t mean that a Travolta appearance is impossible - the man does fly his own plane, after all. But don’t get your hopes up.

St. Patrick feedback

Last week, we asked people to give their opinions about Spokane’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The response was sparse. One person said the parade is just fine the way it is. Two others, longtime parade participants, said they think that the parade has become too commercial, and that too many businesses don’t even make an attempt to decorate their vans or trucks anymore.

“They’re just putting in their vehicles with big logos to try to advertise,” said one caller. “Maybe at least they ought to make people decorate their trucks.”

As for the issue of the selfpromotion by radio and TV stations, the reaction was, essentially, a big yawn. Only one person responded to that issue. She said she thought it was great that the radio and TV stations cared enough to show up.

Obviously, this is not an issue that people stay awake at night worrying about.

The St. Paddy’s lineup

What people do care about is: When is the parade and how do we sign up?

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be March 14 beginning at noon. Entry forms can be picked up at the TCI office, KXLY and The Ram. Anybody can enter.

Here’s Spotlight’s personal request. Try to make some effort to decorate.

Where’s the Magic Lantern?

When we last checked in with Kathryn Graham and Larry Blair , owners of the former Magic Lantern, they hoped to have their new theater up and running by Christmas.

It didn’t happen. Plans are still up in the air. But Graham promises that they will definitely re-open, and definitely keep their old name.

The new Magic Lantern was supposed to be in the Fuller Building, near Gonzaga University. And it may still end up there. Negotiations are continuing. However, Graham said that they are also looking at a couple of downtown sites.

As for the name, that, too, is still up in the air. The new owners of the old theater continue to use the name Magic Lantern. The courts may have to decide who gets to keep the name.

In the meantime, Graham and Blair may expand out to Cheney. They have made an offer on a building there with hopes of giving that university town a long-needed cinema.

Gardner off to Raleigh

Elizabeth Gardner , a reporter and weekend weather anchor at KXLY-4, is heading off to Raleigh, N.C., to take a similar job at WRAL. Her last day will be March 6.

This means that her husband, Todd Lewis , a sports reporter and weekend anchor at KXLY-4, will also be leaving. However, he has agreed to stay on through the State B basketball tournament and Bloomsday.

Spotlight is weekly column of news and commentary on the arts and media. To leave a message on Jim Kershner’s voice-mail, call 459-5493. Or send e-mail to jimk@spokesman.com, or regular mail to Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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