Two Actors Will Don Mask Of Phantom

Which Phantom will you see when “Phantom of the Opera” arrives in Spokane?

That depends on which night you attend.

Brad Little, who has been this tour’s Phantom for most of the past four years, has decided to leave the tour after the March 1 performance here. That means he will be the Phantom for the first 10 performances, beginning Feb. 23.

The next 22 performances will be taken over by Ted Keegan, who is coming over from the Broadway company. He played the Phantom on Broadway numerous times, first as an understudy and then for a two-week stretch this summer as a fill-in. When not playing the Phantom, he played the role of Monsieur Reyer.

Keegan also holds the distinction of being the Phantom who has performed before the biggest audience: He sang “Music of the Night” while flying in from the ceiling of Madison Square Garden at the halftime show of the NBA All-Star Game in 1998. He also performed as the Phantom live on the “Today” show last August, on their outdoor Rockefeller Center set.

Keegan is a veteran of the national tour, having replaced Little for three months last summer.

Both Little and Keegan have received good reviews from other cities. Various reviewers cited each as their “favorite” Phantom. However, Melinda Miller of the Salt Lake Tribune averred that Keegan’s trim build and sweet tenor makes him a “a fairly lightweight Opera Ghost.”

Well, we’ll just have to come to our own conclusions about that.

As for Little, he has apparently decided that nearly four years is enough of playing the Masked Man. He will be pursuing other opportunities.

Mickey Rooney cancels

Mickey Rooney is recovering more slowly than expected from November surgery on a perforated colon, so his Spokane appearance in “Two for the Show” has now been canceled.

This Mickey vehicle was already postponed once, from January to March 29. Now, the producers are calling it quits altogether.

Refunds are available from the point of purchase.

Bayens out at FOX

Scott Bayens, co-anchor of “FOX 28 News at Ten,” has been let go after less than five months at the station.

Bayens said he can’t say much about the parting, because it has turned into a legal matter.

However, he said it “all came as a surprise” to him, and for his part, the departure was “reluctant.” His last day on the air was Jan. 24, and his last day at the station was Jan. 31.

News director Gary Cooper said that it “unfortunately didn’t work out.” He said he couldn’t comment further becuase it’s an internal matter.

Replacing Bayens at the end of the month will be Craig McMorris, presently of Northwest Cable News in Seattle.

Bayens, a Texan who came here by way of North Carolina, said he likes Spokane and wants to stay.

`Fantasia’ still boffo

“Fantasia 2000” continues to pack ‘em in at the Riverfront Park IMAX Theatre. It is already the top-grossing film ever at the theater, and it is only about one-third of the way through its scheduled run.

As of Feb. 6, the movie had grossed $121,106 with an attendance of 15,896 in Spokane.

It shows no sign of letting up, either. Sales in the first week of February alone nearly surpassed last year’s Riverfront Park IMAX sales for the entire month.

Spokane is one of only 75 screens worldwide where the film is playing. It has already grossed $21 million worldwide since opening on Jan. 1.

Heather goes home

Heather Catallo, a reporter on KREM-2, has been snatched away by WXYZ-TV, in her hometown of Detroit.

According to Tamara Lehman, the KREM-2 news director, Catallo was offered a high-profile job there and couldn’t pass it up.

“I expect to see her on the networks someday,” said Lehman. “She’s immensely talented.”

Kudos for The Gorge

The Gorge was named “The Best Large Outdoor Venue In America” at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Pollstar is the concert industry’s trade publication.

They might as well retire this award - this is the fifth year in a row The Gorge has won it.

Havanas in the News

Check out the cover story of the Feb. 7 U.S. News and World Report, titled “Why We Fall in Love.”

The opening paragraphs are set at Havanas Club, above The Ram restaurant in Spokane, as an anthropologist watches women and men play the flirting game.

Why Spokane? Because it’s the home of the anthropologist, David Givens, the head of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane.

Midori on radio

If you didn’t catch the Midori-Gunther Schuller concert Thursday, you can hear it on the radio this week.

KPBX-FM (Spokane Public Radio, 91.1) will broadcast a tape of the concert Monday night at 7 p.m.