THE PLAYERS
The downtown arts-and-entertainment scene is vibrant — yet also volatile.
Words like “eviction” and “bankruptcy” have been bandied about. Here’s an update, as of this week, of the status of the four major entertainment venues in the west downtown area:
The Big Easy Concert House: This 1,532-capacity concert venue has “exceeded expectations” in the four months it has been open, according to General Manager Greg Marchant.
And that may be an understatement. The place has presented dozens of concerts, and many of them have sold out, most notably Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jewel and the Pixies.
In addition, the Big Easy’s “club” nights, in which the hall is converted into a giant dance club, have been regularly packing them in.
“Those have been huge,” said Marchant. “We’re pretty frequently filling it up, and with a line out the door. Our capacity is 1,300 for those nights.”
The Met: The future of this elegant 1915 theater is in limbo after the bankruptcy court filing of its owner, Metropolitan Mortgage. However, this 760-seat venue has stayed open throughout Metropolitan Mortgage’s troubles.
“We haven’t missed a show and haven’t had a dark day,” said Manager Michael Smith. “And we don’t think there will be any, either.”
Still, The Met will eventually be sold off as part of a restructuring deal. Local classic-auto businessman Mitch Silver has made a purchase offer. The bankruptcy court will eventually determine the buyer. If the Silver purchase goes through, however, Smith expects The Met to retain its reputation as a venue known both for hosting legends (Pearl Jam, Wynton Marsalis) and for nurturing local, nonprofit performing groups.
“If he gets it, I think it will be wonderful, to be honest,” said Smith. “It appears that he will have the same philosophy.”
“I think 60 days after I get it, you’ll see eight to 10 new uses per month in that building,” said Silver.
The Fox Theater: The Spokane Symphony, which purchased the art-deco Fox Theater in 2000, has raised $11.5 million for its renovation as a symphony hall. Yet that is only about 40 percent of the necessary total.
Still, Spokane Symphony Executive Director John Hancock predicted that work would begin in 2005.
The Fox has stayed largely shuttered since the purchase, but this summer it will be open for tours, meetings and the occasional First Friday concert featuring a local band. The Trailer Park Girls played there on Friday.
CenterStage: On the surface, things look pessimistic for this 1-year-old dinner theater venue in the RailSide Center arts block. The theater was served last week with what Artistic Director Tim Behrens called an eviction notice.
That came a week after CenterStage initiated its own legal proceedings against its landlord, Odd Girls LLC, over the lease. A judge eventually will have to rule on the validity of the lease.
Yet Ann Wyman of the Odd Girls said the existence of CenterStage is not at issue.
“We very much want to keep CenterStage,” Wyman said. “We just want to renegotiate the lease.”
She also said they want to retain the character of RailSide Center as an arts block.
Leaving aside its legal troubles, CenterStage is about where it expected to be in terms of attendance.
Several shows have been big hits, including “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” while others, such as the most recent, “Closer Than Ever,” have struggled.
Behrens said the dinner theater has been at about 84 percent capacity on Fridays and Saturdays.
He said about 13,500 people have attended arts events there (including World Music events and other concerts), and another 5,400 have attended the UpStage Supper Club, the upstairs jazz club.
That does not mean it’s self-sufficient. The plan calls for CenterStage to make money after its third year.
Meanwhile, it continues to rely on donations.