Subtle Pleasures Don’T Let The Big Broadway Production In Fall Lineup Blind You To These Less Showy, But Very Promising Events
The five-ton elephant is about to enter the room, and the challenge for everyone else is — not to get squished. The elephant is the Best of Broadway Millennium Series (“Les Miserables,” “Show Boat,” “Miss Saigon” and “Phantom of the Opera”) and “everyone else” consists of all of Spokane’s home-grown cultural institutions.
I don’t want to discount the quality of the Millennium Series — in fact, I am convinced that “Les Miz,” which opens Wednesday, may be the finest musical ever.
However, let’s not forget something even more important: The Big Shows in Town are not The Only Shows in Town.
When it comes to the arts, bigger does not necessarily mean better. In fact, some of the lower-profile events are among the most promising. So here are my critic’s picks of some of the many worthwhile cultural events coming up in Spokane this fall, listed in chronological order:
* “The Marriage of Figaro” — The Spokane Opera has a track record of producing fine home-grown opera with surprisingly high production values. If you’ve attended, you know what I mean. If not, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. And this time, they are doing one of the funniest and most beloved (and most accessible) of Mozart’s Operas. The Met, Sept. 3-12, tickets from G&B Select-a-Seat, 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT.
* Diana Krall with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra — I saw this Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival two years ago, and she was a knockout. Imagine a blond, female Nat King Cole and you get the idea. She’s a perfect choice for the Spokane Jazz Society’s 25th birthday celebration. Sept. 10, Spokane Opera House, G&B Select-a-Seat.
* “Arcadia” — This season, I am looking forward to nothing, NOTHING, more than this play by Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”). This will be its first production in Spokane, but I read the script when it first came out several years ago and it is one of the funniest and most brilliant plays of the entire decade. The action veers back and forth between 1809 and the present, and it deals with subjects as wide-ranging as Lord Byron, gardening and chaos-theory physics. It opens Interplayers Ensemble’s season, Sept. 17-Oct. 9, 455-PLAY.
* The Spokane Symphony — I intended to single out one big Symphony concert, until I realized that all four autumn concerts at the Spokane Opera House look outstanding in their own way. The season kicks off with the Opening Night Gala featuring Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome,” and violinist Robert McDuffie playing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 (Sept. 17); followed by the big “Beethoven!” concert featuring Beethoven’s “Egmont” Overture, Piano Concerto No. 2, and Symphony No. 6, “Pastorale”(Oct. 8). Then comes “Guitar Fantasia” featuring Eliot Fisk, one of the world’s finest guitarists (Oct. 29) ; and a concert version of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” (Nov. 19).
Throw in one auspicious-sounding Symphony at the Met performance featuring pianist Caio Pagano playing Rachmaninoff and Chopin (Nov. 7 and 9) ; and then throw in a Super Pops concert featuring the fabulous Pink Martini (Nov. 13), who knocked ‘em dead last year, and your best bet might be season tickets. Either way, call 624-1200 or G&B.
* “1776” — Not every intelligent musical is arriving via multi-million dollar tour. This one, an acclaimed adaptation of the story behind the Declaration of Independence, will be staged by the Spokane Civic Theatre. This unusual 1969 musical became a long-lived and much-revived hit largely due to the “the intelligence of its book and lyrics,” says the Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oct. 1-30, 325-2507.
* “Venice — Music Along the Grand Canal” — Allegro, Spokane’s baroque ensemble, presents an evening of Vivaldi and Albinoni in its opening concert on Oct. 1 The second concert, “Music of Vienna,” Nov. 12, featuring a Beethoven piano quintet and a Mozart Wind Sextet, also sounds worthwhile. Call 455-6865 for season tickets, or 325-SEAT after Labor Day for individual tickets. The Met.
* “Long Ago and Far Away” — Speaking of intelligent theater, David Ives proved himself the smartest and and funniest of American playwrights with “All in the Timing” two seasons ago at the Spokane Civic. Now, the Civic is back with this latest collection of six Ives playlets, which puts this show near the top of my anticipation list. Spokane Civic Theatre’s Firth Chew Studio Theatre, Oct. 22-Nov. 13, 325-2507.
* “A Zephyr Bestiary” — If you haven’t discovered the wide-ranging pleasures of Zephyr, Spokane’s “chamber music with attitude,” this opening concert of its season, celebrating creatures real and imaginary, would be a logical place to start. Oct. 22, The Met, 325-SEAT.
* “A Touch of the Poet” — Eugene O’Neill is once again looming over Broadway with “The Iceman Cometh.” Here’s our chance to see one of his final works, a tempestuous and moody story about an immigrant father and his American-born son. Interplayers Ensemble, Oct. 22-Nov. 13, 455-PLAY.
* “Hildegard Von Bingen” — Talk about a career comeback: She was writing hymns and chants nine centuries ago as an abbess in Germany, and now she is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. The Cathedral and the Arts Series kicks off its season with a concert devoted to her distinctive works. Oct. 24, St. John’s Cathedral, 325-SEAT.
* “Vincent” — Jim Jarrett brings his one-man show about Vincent Van Gogh to town in a benefit performance. The script by Leonard Nimoy (yes, THAT Leonard Nimoy) explores both the genius and the torment behind this great artist. Oct. 29, The Met, 325-SEAT.
So, let’s keep some perspective as we plan our fall entertainment. The five-ton elephant shouldn’t get ALL the attention.