Original Stars From ‘Grease’ Here For Show
Yes, Spokane is getting a pair of “Grease” stars at the big Northwest 20th Anniversary Premiere on Saturday at the Fox Theater.
Neither of them, however, are named John Travolta or Olivia Newton-John.
They’re named Kelly Ward , who played Putzie, and Jeff Conaway , who played Kenickie. You may remember Conaway as Bobby Wheeler in “Taxi.”
Ward also appeared in “The Big Red One” and “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.”
They’ll be on hand to say a few words and maybe sign a few autographs.
Ellen Travolta , who played a waitress in “Grease,” will also be on hand, of course. She and her famous brother John helped organize this event. It’s a benefit for the Helen Burke Travolta Memorial Fund, to benefit the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre.
All 800-plus tickets to the premiere were sold out long ago.
An emotional production
One of the most joyful and emotional productions of the year took place at Interplayers Ensemble on Sunday, and it wasn’t even a play.
It was the surprise 50th wedding anniversary party for Interplayers’ co-founders Bob and Joan Welch. Well-wishers gathered in the lobby while the Welches were lured to the theater on the pretext of retrieving a lost wallet.
The Welches opened the door to the sight of popping flashbulbs, a caterer, a DJ, dozens of balloons and more than 100 well-wishers. Were they surprised? Well, they’re actors, but if this was an act, it was the best performance of the season.
Joan Welch was unable to utter a complete sentence for more than an hour. Instead, she sputtered out fragments — “I’m just … you’re so … this is so …” — while hugging every single person in the room.
The surprise was orchestrated by the Welch’s children, Chris and Robin, with the help of a few local conspirators.
A multi-media slide show, put together by Don Hamilton, chronicled the Welch’s 50-year partnership, beginning when Joan was an ingenue and Bob was the suave leading man.
Artist and old friend Harold Balazs provided one of the most moving moments of the afternoon. In a speech, he said they were the kind of artists he admires most: The kind who “bloom where they’re planted.”
The ‘surprise’ play
Speaking of Interplayers, that theater has announced its “surprise” play of the season: “An Inspector Calls,” J.B. Priestley’s 1947 psychological thriller.
This play was a big hit in London and New York when it was revived recently. It’s about a British family that finds itself subject to inquiry in the suicide of a young girl.
It will run April 10 through May 12. Call 455-PLAY for reservations.
‘Timing’ goes on
Meanwhile, the Spokane Civic Theatre has already added another performance of David Ives’ “All in the Timing,” due to popular demand.
The extra performance will be on March 25 at 8 p.m. The show will run through March 28. Call 325-2507.
Aerosmith time warp
When I heard that Aerosmith was booked into the Spokane Arena for April 24, I was transported back in time to the pre-Arena year of 1994, when the old Coliseum was still Spokane’s concert barn.
A Seattle promoter was saying there were certain acts that he couldn’t book into Spokane because the Coliseum was too small.
“I wish you had that Arena finished right now,” he said. “I would have brought Aerosmith in there.”
More than three years later, that promise has paid off.
Sweeney on ‘George & Leo’
Local product Julia Sweeney has now landed a regular gig on the CBS sitcom “George & Leo.”
She joins Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch as an “amorous nanny” who gets crushes on “inappropriate men.”
The show runs Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
Photo preservation
Good news from the Cheney Cowles Museum’s archives: The museum has just received a grant to help preserve thousands of its decomposing historic photo negatives.
Karen DeSeve, curator of special collections, said the National Historic Publications and Records Commission has come through with a grant which will allow the museum to make new polyester negatives of thousands of historic images.
The museum did not, however, receive money for a cold-storage unit, which can extend the life of the original negatives by hundreds of years.
Still, with help from a number of darkroom volunteers, many of the most important photos in the collection will now be saved.
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. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo